The Artist In 4C
by ChinaTeaSunflowers
Summary: Buffy's an art gallery owner, engaged to Lindsey but wanting to understand the strange attraction she has to Faith Lehane, the artist in apartment 4C. Before long, she's drowning in Faith's thrall. All-human, AU with references to the actual show. Fuffyfic. Enjoy!
1. Part 1 - Housewarming

_**Title**__: The Artist in 4C_

_**Author**__: ChinaTeaSunflowers (formerly LettyToretto)_

_**Rating**__: M+ (just in case)_

_**Summary**__: Buffy's an art gallery owner, engaged to Lindsey but wanting to understand the strange attraction she has to Faith Lehane, the artist in apartment 4C. All-human AU. Fuffyfic._

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own them. Just use them for my guilty pleasures and then return them. Any characters, places or themes of familiarity belong to Joss Whedon and the Powers That Be at Mutant Enemy._

_**A/N**__: This story will be long (eventually, it could be novel-length... who knows?). Please Review. It helps me know that I'm doing an okay job._

Part I

_**Chapter 1: Housewarming**_

_August_

Something about the girl in apartment 4C was unconditionally magnetic. From the moment they'd nearly collided catastrophically at the mailboxes of her apartment building, Buffy had been completely and irrevocably drawn to her.

The thing was: Buffy Summers wasn't a lesbian. She'd only had one lesbian encounter; an art major, named Rayne, at UC-Sunnydale. It happened during her sophomore year and she had gained nothing more from the experience than an awkward romp with the girl whom she now called her bridesmaid and crossing it off of her bucket list. Now, at twenty-six, Buffy owned _Galleria de Veranos_, an art gallery just off of Wilshire Boulevard and was engaged to Lindsey, a handsome lawyer she'd met through an anonymous art deal.

But 4C was different. She was exotic. Mysterious. _Passionate_. The things that had been lacking in Buffy's life as of late. Just about the only thing that Buffy knew about her was that her last name was Lehane.

_Two days earlier..._

_Tuesday, 5:45pm_

_Buffy opened the front door to her apartment building and continued emailing her assistant via her Blackberry en route to her mailbox. Just as 4C rounded the corner with a large, bordered blank canvas, Buffy sent her email. She looked up in time to side-step the walking canvas._

_"I'm sorry." An raspy yet, feminine voice said. "I didn't see you...there." 4C lowered the canvas to rest it on the floor and her last word got caught in her throat. She'd never seen Buffy around before and she was certain she'd remember such a gorgeous face._

_"No worries." Buffy replied. The woman's dark brown hair was wavy and damp as if she'd just emerged from the shower. Her light blue jeans were torn and frayed at the knees and her white, fitted T-shirt boasted "SAN FRANCISCO SLAYERFEST '98' in black writing._

_"How was it?" Buffy asked, gesturing to Faith's shirt._

_"Oh, I didn't go. My friend brought me back the lousy T-shirt. I heard it was to die for, though." _

_4C appeared to be in a hurry. She opened up her mailbox, grabbed her mail and turned back to Buffy._

_"I'm Buffy Summers, by the way. I'm in three-B." Extending her hand, 4C gave it a shake._

_"I'm-." She turned Buffy's wrist sideways to look at the time on her watch, "so fucking late!" With that, Buffy's mystery woman hoisted up the canvas and tucked it under one arm and made a beeline for the front door._

_**Present Day**_

_Thursday, 6:15pm_

Clutching an invitation to her and Lindsey's housewarming in her hand, Buffy shut the door to her loft and headed up the stairs to 4C.

She rang the bell and then knocked twice. Moments that seemed like hours passed as Buffy went over in her head what she would say. A tall, thin man opened the door. He had bleach blonde hair and was dressed in a black, muscle shirt and black skinny jeans.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" His English-accented voice spoke, clipped and deep.

"Hi. Is-."

"Faith! You've got a hot, blonde at the door. Should I take a message or-?"

_Faith! Finally a name!_

"Shut up, Spike." Faith said, coming into view. Air caught inaudibly in Buffy's throat.

"Hey! Buffy Summers from three-B. What brings you to the fourth floor?" She said, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe. Faith's hair was pinned up and her hands were covered in oil paint. There were also a few smudges on her face and neck. As Buffy continued to stare, her lightly-glossed lips slowly curved into a smirk and her ocean-deep dimples appeared. Suddenly the heat in Buffy's cheeks found its way to her core.

Actual words left Buffy's mental Webster's...

"Hi, yeah, I uh, just wanted to give you this." Buffy handed her the invitation. "I-it's an invite to my housewarmy thingy."

_And were apparently replaced with words from the Nervous Schoolgirl's Thesaurus,_ Buffy thought.

"Cool." Faith opened it up and quickly skimmed the contents. "Tomorrow night. I'll be there."

"Awesome. See ya then. And feel free to bring anyone." Buffy added before she walked off. Satisfied, she went back to 3B and shut the door.

"Buffy? That you?" Lindsey asked.

"Yeah, it's me." He met her at the door and gave her a kiss. "You just get home?"

"Sure did. Where were you?"

"I just gave out a last minute invitation to our housewarming to the girl in four-C. Her name is Faith." Buffy said. She didn't know why she felt the need to mention Faith's name.

"Cool. She'll be there?"

"That's what she said."

"Good. I'm excited to get to know our neighbors."

"Me too." Buffy smiled.

"Now, to business: where's my dinner, woman?" Lindsey joked. Buffy crossed her eyes at him to solicit a laugh and headed into the kitchen.

At work on Friday, Buffy could only concentrate on her plans for the evening. She wasn't anal. Everything just had to be perfect!

"Miss Summers? Your three o'clock is here." Jasmine, Buffy's assistant, interrupted her thoughts.

"Thanks, Jazz. Oh, will you be there tonight?"

"Absolutely. I'm going to go home, shower, change and head on over. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"Uh, no. I think we have everything we need. Besides, you're not my assistant tonight. You're a friend." Buffy reminded her as the phone rang.

"Right." Jasmine replied, answering it. "_Galleria de Veranos_."

_Friday night, 9:48pm_

It was damn near ten and there was still no sign of Faith. Buffy preoccupied herself by fluttering through the loft, mingling and making sure everyone always had a drink in their hand.

"Buffy, I have to admit, this is the first time we, as neighbors, have all been in the same room together. It's actually quite refreshing."

"Really, Buffy, it's wonderful what you've done with the place."

"I hope you and Lindsey will plan on staying here long."

There were dozens of comments tossed her way and Buffy couldn't have been more pleased with them. It was one, however, that sent a chill down her spine.

"Awesome, place, Buffy. You could use a little more art in here, though."

Buffy turned around to see Faith standing behind her.

"You made it!" Buffy exclaimed with a little too much enthusiasm than necessary.

"Yeah." Faith handed her a bottle of champagne that she'd creatively painted in vivid hues of green, orange and red. "For the lady of the house."

"Thanks, Faith. It's beautiful. You're so damn talented."

"No problem. I brought my friend, William, with me but... I think he's hitting on that girl over there." Faith said, pointing towards the kitchen island.

"That's my assistant, Jasmine. He's not going to get very far. She's got a boyfriend."

A snort of amused laughter left Faith's nose. "That's never stopped him before. Give it seven minutes."

"Can I get you something to drink?"

"Sure. Soda or water."

"Not a drinker?" Buffy asked as she and Faith walked to the kitchen.

"Not really. I tend to become a different person when I drink."

"Understood. No explanation necessary."

Buffy opened two ginger ales and handed one to Faith. They tapped them together and drank. Buffy's eyes widened at the sight she was seeing behind Faith.

"Oh my god. I think you were right."

"'Course I was." Faith mused. "What was I right about?"

Buffy made a circling gesture with her index finger. Faith turned around and grinned. Jasmine was twirling her hair and giggling at something William was saying. He took his phone from his pocket and handed it to her. Jasmine pressed a few buttons on it and then handed the Blackberry back to him.

"I think I should cut her off." Buffy said.

"Nah. Let her have some fun. Everyone can use a break from their own lives once in a while."

"Even if it gets them into trouble."

"_Especially _if it gets them into trouble."

"You strike me as someone who likes to live on the edge."

"She doesn't just live on the edge. She'll parasail right off the cliff if you give her the right equipment, yeah?" William interjected. He put his arm around Faith's neck.

An hour later, the party-goers started to disperse and head back to their separate lives. All but Faith. Even William had gone home after giving Faith a sly look that said "_don't do anything I wouldn't do_."

"So what do you do?" Buffy asked. "Stupid question. With the canvas and the smeared paint..."

Faith laughed at Buffy's nervousness. It was cute. "Yeah. I'm a painter."

"Really? I own an art gallery on Wilshire."

"_Galleria de Veranos_." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes! That's me."

"Nice. I've only been in there once or twice."

Buffy noticed that Faith kept a mysterious vagueness about herself. It was maddening, but charming. Elusive, yet _telling_. For most of the conversation, when Faith spoke, there was almost always another way that Buffy could take it.

Faith read the digital clock on the cable box. "It's really late. I'd better go before Lindsey thinks I'm trying to steal his girl."

"Alright." Her voice held just a hint of disappointment.

Buffy walked her to the door and they stood their awkwardly for a few moments before Faith opened the door.

"Well, I'll see ya around, B." Faith said.

"Okay. Yeah, see you..." Buffy trailed off when she noticed that Faith was no longer in her line of sight.

What the hell was it about this girl? Whatever it was, was killing Buffy. The only thing Buffy could thoroughly conclude was that Faith was somehow going to shake up her life.

_**Up Next: A gallery opening.**_

_**Review! Review! Review!**_


	2. Private Viewing

_**A/N: Forgive me for reusing "Re-birth Day Girl" from my previous story "Starcrossed Lovers: Berlin Blues". Call it, a creative plagarism. (: Enjoy!**_

_**PS. PLEASE Review guys and gals. It keeps me going. If I don't know what you think, I'll assume it's not worth continuing and I'll delete it. ): **_

_**Chapter 2: Private Viewing**_

_Wednesday, 9:10am_

Twelve days had passed. Buffy had not seen Faith in nearly two weeks. No more run-ins at the mailbox which meant no more distractions for Buffy.

After all, that's what Faith was. _Wasn't she? _Just a distraction from Buffy's soon-to-be perfect life.

_Buffy and Lindsey sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes Faith with those totally adorable dimples and..._

"Ugh!" Buffy deleted everything she'd written on her computer out of frustration.

"Buffy?" A concerned Jasmine was standing the door to her office. "Is there anything that I can help you with?"

"No. Unless you can give me a surprise lobotomy." Buffy quipped.

Jasmine smiled. "Ah, fresh out of those, but I could make some coffee."

"You're a saint," remarked Buffy in a dreamy voice.

Jasmine's banter had allowed her a few moments of not drowning in her own thoughts. Nevermind the mountain made of paperwork that needed her signature, Buffy had nine days to organize a gala for Autism Awareness. There were florists and caterers and brilliant puzzle piece paintings to be moved for exhibition. She also had to call the bridal shop and see how far they were with her wedding dress alterations. Not to mention, the dry cleaners had destroyed yet another of her Gabana chiffon tops.

"Get to work, Buffy." She scolded herself.

And then she was off. Faith was now pushed to the dark recesses of her mind. Buffy was so good with compartmentalizing that she was sure she'd made Faith up in a dream she once had.

By five-thirty, Buffy had sold two paintings -though for modest amounts-, sent out the finalized RSVP list and confirmed with both the caterer and florist. She had called the bridal shop around noon but they were closed for lunch. Buffy would try again later.

"Damn, I'm good," Buffy murmured. As her MacBookPro was shutting down, she slipped on her tailored suit jacket.

"And so very modest."

Buffy's head shot up in alert. Jasmine had went home an hour ago. _Hadn't she remembered to lock the door?_

Faith was looking around Buffy's office, analytically, yet unimpressed. Clearly, the finer things in life didn't mean much to Faith. Light brown eyes made their way to where Buffy was standing.

"I hope you don't mind. The door was open." The brunette's dimples were prominent, though there was only a simple smirk on her face.

"Not at all. What brings you here?"

"A work of art." Faith answered, looking Buffy in the eyes.

"Cryptic." Buffy commented. Her computer and its charger slid easily into the case.

"Honest." Faith shot back, her dimples deepening.

"Hm." Buffy nodded. She took the clip out of her hair and shook her head, allowing the golden romance curls to fall around her face, neck and shoulders.

"Look, B, I know the gallery close at five but is it too late for the Buffy Summers' tour?" Faith asked, hopefully.

Buffy smiled. "Of course not."

Fifteen minutes later, Buffy walked Faith into the final show room.

"Now, _this_," Faith said, stopping in front of a thirty-five-by-thirty-five canvas, "this is real art. Who is this by?"

Buffy made a show of looking at the gold-plated, engraved nameplate. "Buffy Summers."

"Get the hell outta here. No way." She nudged Buffy with her elbow. "That's awesome."

Buffy shrugged, nonchalantly. Inside she was beaming with pride at the compliment from the girl from 4C. "Thanks. It was nothing, really."

Dark, smoky colors along with hues of blood red took up the left half of the painting. The shadows were taunting. Menacing, even. On the right half, swirls of bright colors -yellow, orange, eggshell white- took up the rest. The two sides, however, came together in the middle where a figure formed, hugging itself. Wrapped in both sets of colors. The painting was an abstract viewing of the battle between good and evil; something that Buffy had been going through during the painting process.

"It's... powerful."

"Thanks." Buffy said, nudging Faith back.

_Summers-McDonald Residence, 7:27pm_

"Babe?" Lindsey called out. He placed his suit jacket on the back of the sofa. "Buff?"

"Yeah. I'm here." Buffy walked from the bedroom to the living room and kissed her fiance.

"How was your day?"

"Let's see: there was a beginning, a middle and an end." Buffy replied, matter-of-factly.

"Sounds fascinating." He smiled and held up an envelope. "This was taped to the door. I'm guessing it's for you."

A whimsical '_B._'was writing on the front of the envelope. Buffy took it from Lindsey and opened it. It was an invitation to an art exhibit. Buffy smiled.

"What is it?" Lindsey opened up the electricity bill and gave it a once-over.

"An invite for a gallery exhibit."

"Who's it from?"

"The girl in 4C." Buffy answered. She sounded preoccupied, _dazed_. And she was. Preoccupied with rereading the invite. She walked back towards the bedroom. Lindsey looked up in time to see Buffy's retreating form. A big question mark hung overtop of his head.

When Lindsey stepped from the shower, Buffy had dinnerware and food on the dining room table. She had ordered Thai takeout, Lindsey's favorite. As he walked into the room, Buffy was opening his favorite red wine.

"Whoa. The good stuff." Lindsey swooned. He lifted the bottle of _1967 Cabernet Sauvignon _red wine and inhaled the scent deeply. "What's the occasion?"

Truth be told, there wasn't a special occasion. Buffy had no idea why she'd chosen Lindsey's favorite food. His favorite wine. And even his favorite music? When the _hell _did she put on David Garza? Subconciously, Buffy catered to her man in order to keep her thoughts from a certain charming brunette. Uncertain of her chemistry to Faith, Buffy didn't understand her own infatuation. After all, she had only seen Faith four times. Faith had never really given her any hints that she was a lesbian. Nor had she contested to the fact that she was interested in being more than just a good friend to Buffy.

Jumping out of her thought pool, Buffy replied, "Nothing major. We just never got to celebrate our new place. Just the two of us."

The two sat down at the table across from one another. "That's true. We haven't." Lindsey picked up his wine and Buffy followed suit. "To us."

"To us." Buffy smiled.

_Yep, Faith had definitely been made up from dream dust._

Lindsey was all she needed.

_Right?_

_Saturday, 6:44pm_

Each with a glass of champagne in their hand, Buffy and her best friend, Willow walked around _Tabula Rasa_, another local art gallery. Faith had invited her and, though there had been no sign of her, yet, Buffy allowed herself to enjoy the exhibit. She would, however, make sure to thank Faith. After all, Buffy had had the pleasure of a private viewing of a few new pieces by her favorite artist, Michelle Albany.

"So, if this Michelle Albany character never comes to her own shows, who does she call to get her paintings around the world?" Willow questioned.

"I have no idea but if I ever met her, I'd probably leave a trail of drool when I left." Buffy admitted. They both tilted their heads sideways to examine another angle of a sketch. The naked man had been sketched with a red wax stick.

"Drool, huh?" Faith's voice said, in her ear. Buffy bit her lip and smirked.

"That turn you on?" Buffy joked, turning around.

"Oh, totally." Faith laughed. Whereas everyone else were dressed in their most stylished, expensive clothing, Faith was dressed in black, fitted cargo pants, a white v-neck Polo Ralph Lauren t-shirt, and a dark gray, silk scarf draped just enough to show her two small, gold necklaces. It was then that Buffy finally noticed Faith's tattoo. The thin, dark ink barely went halfway around her arm, three inches above her elbow.

"Faith, this is my best friend in the universe, Willow Rosenberg, private investigator. Willow, this is Faith Lehane, artist extraordinare." Buffy introduced.

"Just Faith." Faith said, shaking Willow's hand. "Private investigator, huh?"

"Just Will. I've always been good at research. It's nice to put a face to the name. I've heard quite a lot about you. Your hair's amazing." Willow responded, admiring Faith's dropped romance curls.

"Thanks, Red." Faith was genuinly pleased.

"Hey, thanks for the invite."

"Thanks for coming. I hate coming to these things, not to mention being alone, surrounded by the posh and the privileged."

"Not a problem. Where's William?"

"He's sick." Faith answered omniously. She smirked and turned towards the painting.

"Send him my well wishes."

"Will do."

"Catch up, Faith. We're both on glass number two." Willow told her.

"Ah. I'm not a drinker." Faith said. She shoved her hands into the front pockets of her pants.

"And I've officially put my foot in my mouth."

"Don't feel that way. What do you guys think of Michelle Albany's work? She's dope right?" Faith segued.

"The work is really interesting. Every piece is radical and different from the next." Willow observed.

"She's only the most amazing artist to ever exist in the art world. Since I was in college, I've admired how each series of her works are themed. Destruction, creation, love, hate, art, sex, music."

"Buffy's pretty much a groupie for Michelle Albany." Willow explained. "Forgive her for hyperventilating."

"Totally forgiven, B."

A silverware fork tapped against a champagne flute four times and the room quieted down. "Can I have everyone's attention, please?" A woman in a skin-tight, strapless cream Christian Dior dress spoke into a very sleek, 1920s-styled microphone.

"I'm Bridgette Blake, curator here at _Tabula Rasa _and tonight, we have been honored to be the first to view Michelle Albany's new series entitled "_Re-birth Day Girl_". This is the second series that she's given us the pleasure to view privately before it goes, well... viral. Bridgette cleared her throat before continuing. "Drink up and enjoy the pieces because next week, they'll be sent to the _Galleria de Veranos_. Oh, my God. Is that Mich-?"

Faith inconspiciously shake her head 'no', cutting Bridgette off.

Bridgette cleared her throat. "Uh, _Galleria de Veranos_ is owned by Buffy Summers who has graced us with her presence tonight." She outstretched her arm towards Buffy's direction.

Everyone turned to look at Buffy, who smiled graciously and gave a small wave while everyone clapped.

"Hey, that's awesome, Buffy. Your favorite artist is sending her pieces to your gallery!" Willow squealed.

"I know. I don't think I can breathe." Buffy muttered out of the side of her mouth once everyone had stopped staring at her.

_Later that night..._

Willow and Buffy left the gallery and gave the valet their tickets. Willow's car was first up.

"Text me and let me know you got in safely," said Buffy. She gave her best friend a hug and kissed her cheek.

"I will. Later, alligator."

"After awhile, crocodile." Buffy quipped. The two shared smiles as Willow got into her car and pulled off.

"Ma'am?" A red-vested valet held open the door for her car.

"Thank you." She said, slipping him a twenty dollar bill. Before Buffy got in, someone's hand grabbed hers.

"Hey, I was hoping I would catch you." Faith said.

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to tell you again that I really appreciate you coming out."

"Are you kidding me? It was my pleasure. The art was phenomenal."

Faith's hand, still on Buffy's, gently pulled Buffy towards her for a hug.

Just as Buffy's mind had comprehended the hug, Faith pulled away and smiled. "I'll see you around, Summers." Faith started down the street.

"Faith, do you need a ride?"

Faith spun on her heels and started walking backwards. "Nah. I take the bus after these things. They help me remember who I am. Inspiration is everywhere, B." She spun back around and kept walking, her hands in her pockets.

_**Up Next: Lunch Hour.**_


	3. Never Cease To Amaze Me

_**A/N: Thanks for the love, beautiful souls. It truly keeps me going!**_

_**Chapter 3: Never Cease To Amaze Me**_

_Thursday, Noon_

"Can I tempt you... for lunch? Just an hour," was Faith's answer to Buffy's professional 'this is Buffy Summers'.

Buffy had just finished a sketch of the Japanese water garden she wanted to add to the gallery's meditation room when Faith's call was put through.

"You're not one for professionalism are you?" Buffy retorted.

A loud, dramatic sigh came from the other end. Putting on her best "Corporate America" voice, Faith mustered up, "Hi, Miss Summers, this is Faith Lehane calling. I was just wondering if you could meet me for lunch around one p.m."

"There, now, wasn't that better?"

"Oh, much." Sarcasm dripped from Faith's words. Buffy giggled.

"I like when you laugh." Faith blurted out. She made a stabbing motion towards her eye with the pencil she held, mentally berating herself before the words left her mouth. Spike stood in front of her sketch desk, placed both hands on his heart dramatically and mouthed, "kiss me, Buffy" to her. She dropped the pencil and gave him the finger.

_Stunned_. "Uh, so what's this about lunch?" As the words left her mouth, Buffy repeatedly tapped her palm against her forehead.

_That was _it_? That was the best she could come up with?_

"Uh, yeah. I wanted to know if you're free for a little while?" Faith twisted the back-end to her small, diamond post earring.

_You're fidgeting_, Spike mouthed. Faith immediately withdrew her hand from her ear and placed it under her bum.

"Absolutely. Should I meet you somewhere or do you want to come to the gallery and we just go from there... here?"

"I can come to the gallery."

"Okay, well, I'll see you in an hour." Buffy concluded and placed the receiver back on the cradle.

_On the other side of town..._

Once she'd hung up, Faith threw her iPhone 4 on her sketch desk and laid her head down.

"See that wasn't hard. Sooo... are you gonna tell 'er, then?" Spike asked, knowingly.

"Yes."

"When?"

"Soon."

"Scaredy cat."

"Mama's boy." Faith threw back.

Spike clutched at his heart. "Oooh! That one stung!" He said, feigning hurt over Faith's words. Faith chuckled a bit.

"Finally, the first laugh I've gotten out of you all day. You've got a stick up your arse because you're longing for Buffy, who incidentally, isn't a lesbian."

"Neither am I."

Spike snorted. "Let you tell it."

"That one time with your mom didn't count." Faith grinned.

"Ouch. Third degree burn!" Spike yelled over his shoulder as he headed to her refrigerator.

"You're a tool!" Spike yelled back. She picked up the sketch she had started. Faith stared at the likeness of Buffy before crumbling it up and tossing it on the floor.

"And you're one longing ass lesbian, yeah?" Spike came back in the room, his hand deep in a cereal box. "You're out of Wheetabix."

"That's because you're always over here, eating it all." Faith said, not looking up from her organizing. "And I'm not longing for her. Would you stop saying that?"

"Denial, my good lesbian friend, is not just a river in Egypt." He left back out of the room, leaving Faith to her drawings.

"Get out." Faith laughed. She placed a new blank sheet of paper in front of her and grabbed a wax stick. From the sounds of the TV, Spike had obviously made himself comfortable in her den. Faith rolled her eyes and started a fresh picture.

_Galleria de Veranos_, 1:03pm

"Miss Summers, your lunch is here." Jasmine's voice said over the speakerphone.

Buffy saved the last of her document, shut her laptop and grabbed her Blackberry, car keys and wallet. Approaching the doorway to her office, Buffy saw Faith's dark tresses came into view.

"Yes, I'll be there... yes, on time. One-thirty, sharp. I just had to stop and pick something up... no, I'm not going to ki-... fuck off, Spike." Faith hissed into her phone. She tapped at the touchscreen, furiously ending the call, and turned around. When she witnessed Buffy standing at her assistant's chair, she smiled.

"Hey, B."

_Hellooo, lunch. _

"Hey!" Buffy looked at her assistant. "I won't be long. If anyone comes in, don't worry about calling me unless they want a contract."

"Not a problem." Jasmine answered, politely. _Buffy rarely ever leaves the office for lunch, unless it's a client. Nor does she ever send calls to voicemail. And wasn't that the girl from Buffy's housewarming? Didn't she come with that incredibly gorgeous, English guy? Buffy said she barely even knew Faith..._

Thoughts, allegations, and then total denial swept through Jasmine's head in a matter of four seconds. There's no way... Buffy's not even into women. Right?

* * *

"I've never sat in the passenger seat of my own car before." Buffy admitted.

"Never? Lindsey never drives when you two go out?"

"No. No one ever drives the Range Rover but me."

"Ahh, sweet, sweet consumerism. Why do you torture Buffy so?" Faith said, dramatically.

"Oh, that's really funny. Was that Shakespeare?" Buffy asked, her tone monotonous.

Faith only chuckled as she pulled into a parking spot at the UC-Sunnydale campus. She had parked in front of the art building and turned the ignition off.

"Here we are." She told Buffy.

Buffy had spent most of her college life in the art building at UC-Sunnydale. Being an art history major didn't really give her many other options. She'd met some amazing students who also had the pleasure of staying up past three a.m. to finish a painting, graphic design or dress for class the next day.

"Why are we here?"

"You'll see." Faith's smile was contagious. She grabbed the blonde's hand and led her up the Rocky-esque steps and into the building. They walked for about five minutes; one left, one right, down a flight of stairs, through another door and another right. Buffy found herself in a huge lecture hall that held about two hundred students; all who were now looking at the two intruders.

_Whoa, flashback to me bursting into Dawn's classroom at Sunnydale High_, Buffy thought. Faith pulled Buffy to two empty chairs at the front of the class next to Spike and gave a little wave at the professor who was standing up front.

"Ah, our guest speaker is here. Now, you may put away your books and give your undivided attention to the very talented and very beautiful, Miss Michelle Albany." The professor said. The classroom broke out into a standing ovation.

Buffy looked around, wide-eyed, for her favorite artist.

Faith jumped up out of her seat and walked to the front of the class. "Thanks, Rupes. I mean, Professor Giles." She hopped up to sit on the edge of his desk. "What's up, guys?"

A chorus of various responses floated back to her. Buffy's mouth gaped open.

_Faith? Was... Michelle? Wait... WHAT?_

"That's awesome. So, I'm Faith. Michelle Albany is just a psuedonym I use for my work so I don't get hassled. First off, I wanna say that I was at the art show for a little while last night before I had to attend another event," Faith looked at Buffy to see that she was now looking at the former in awe, "and you guys have some sick shit on display. I mean, you guys really rock."

Laughter rang out because of Faith's cool attitude and lack of care for the profanity that she just let slip.

"Who did the piece with the blood dripping down from the Statue of Libery in restraints?" Faith asked. She looked around before she spotted a hand up.

"What's your name, mama?" Faith cupped her hand around her ear to hear the small answer.

"Amanda."

"Amanda, see me after the lecture, k?" Faith demanded. Amanda could only nod. She was starstruck.

Everyone was in complete awe of how cool and young Michelle Albany had turned out to be. They'd all theorized she was a middle-aged, mean cat lady recluse. Buffy included. While Faith began her lecture, Buffy sat back against her chair and tried to pick her jaw up off of the floor.

"Okay, so I'm here today to just let you guys know three things. The first is that you're not alone. Even though, you're surrounded by hundreds of other art majors everyday, I know that feeling of being alone. As an artist, you'll feel that no one understands you or understands your work but, believe me, people understand. Do me a favor: look to your left. Now look to your right. These are the people who know _exactly _how you feel. They are the ones who will look at your work of art and know that you were _pissed the hell off_, melancholy or ecstatic when you created that piece.

"The second thing is that you shouldn't give a damn, I repeat, _you. Should. Not. Give. A damn_ about what people think of your work. Two years before my first series,_ Savagery: Passion_, was released, I'd met with an agent who told me that my, and I quote, "emo works of art will never get you anywhere". Needless to say, I punched her in the nose, took my pieces and left. Two years later, that collective series made me fifty thousand dollars richer." Faith told them.

"Finally, I want to tell you that you never have to compromise who you are to get what you want. I've been partying since I was fifteen, man. I've been through some shit and I've seen some crazy things in my life but I've always remained true to who I am. There's a reason why people don't know my real name. Having a secret identity helps a lot. I get to ride the bus and the subway without people stopping me every five minutes for an autograph. I mean, you guys didn't even know who was coming as your guest lecturer today. Am I right?" Faith said. Many of the students looked at each other, nodding in agreement.

"Faith," Giles interrupted, tapping his watch. Faith nodded in understanding.

"So, since I'm getting the boot from Rupes, do you guys have any questions?"

"Yeah, uh, will you marry me?" A random voice yelled out.

"How big are your feet?" Faith shot back. More laughter.

"When did you know that you wanted to be an artist? For a career, I mean?" A black girl asked.

"What's your name?"

"Rona."

"Rona, I know it sounds mad corny but I've been creating since I can remember. And before that, my mom said I was pretty good with a crayon on the walls." Faith told her.

Rona gave her a side smile and a soft chuckle.

"Anybody else?"

There were tons of hands being raised but Faith was waiting for just one. She looked around and saw Buffy's hand up. Faith nodded her head in Buffy's direction.

"How long do you know somebody before you tell them that you're this super famous artist?" Buffy asked.

_Bingo._

"It's not a matter of time. It's an issue of trust. Of loyalty. Of passion... for art. Specifically for my art. If the person has a shitty view of my works, why would I let them know who I am? They don't deserve it." Faith answered.

"Okay, that's enough questions. She'll be here on Friday for our studio time, painting while you paint. And don't forget to read chapter four on Salvador Dali. You're dismissed." Professor Giles stated.

"Amanda, come here!" Faith had to yell over the sounds of excited chatter, bookbags closing and students shuffling to their feet. She waited for Amanda and then walked over to Buffy and Spike.

"Amanda, I'd like you to meet my best friend, Spike. And this," Faith started, turning to Buffy, "this is my good friend Buffy."

"Hi. It's really a pleasure to meet you both." Amanda was timid and completely the opposite of Faith.

"I want you to take down my number and call me at any time of the day or night. I mean it. You have power inside of you." Faith told her. She took a pen from the side pocket of Amanda's messenger bag and wrote her number down on the first page of the binder that Amanda was clutching to her chest. Giving Amanda a hug, Faith urged the shy student to call her one last time before she, Buffy, and Spike headed out of the lecture hall and back to their cars. This time, Buffy sat in the driver's seat.

Starting the ignition, Buffy turned to Faith and said in a mock, Spanish accent, "Lucy, you got some 'splainin' to do."

_**Up Next: Faith tells Buffy a little more about herself during a night on the town.**_


	4. Paint The Town

_**A/N: Sorry this chapter is shorter than the others (but not by much). Anyway, I had to write a little smut for you guys, although it's a poor attempt and... well, here it is! Enjoy! (:**_

_**Chapter 4: Paint The Town**_

_Wednesday 7:55pm_

Trying to decide between two dresses always became a war for Buffy. Tonight's war? The strapless, stretchy, black number that stopped mid-thigh and looked like it was practically painted on versus the strapless, stretchy tan number that stopped mid-thigh. With pin-straight hair in a neat ponytail and natural makeup, Buffy stood in front of the mirror in a black lace thong and her black Christian Louboutin pumps, holding up the black dress for the last time.

"The black one!" Lindsey yelled while brushing his teeth.

"If I wear the black one, I'll have to change my shoes."

"So, change your shoes." Lindsey spat out the foamy toothpaste.

"It's not that simple! If I wear the black dress, I have to wear my cheetah print Jimmy Choos with the red bottom. If I wear those Choos than I have to change my lipstick." Buffy whined.

_Hello, Planet Narcissist._

"I thought you had to meet Faith at eight." Lindsey kissed her cheek as he walked past her.

_Flashback_

_Starting the ignition, Buffy turned to Faith and said in a mock, Spanish accent, "Lucy, you got some 'splainin' to do."_

_"How about this: you meet me at the Bronze tonight at eight and I'll tell you everything you wanna know?" Faith offered._

_Buffy's green eyes flashed. "Fine. Torture me, why don't you?"_

_Faith laughed. "Never, B. Lest you say 'please'."_

_End of flashback_

Buffy glanced at the clock and rolled her eyes. She was supposed to meet Faith at the Bronze, a local club, by eight.

_Pfft! Like that was gonna happen._

She slipped into the black dress. Lindsey zipped it up for her. Buffy grabbed her phone, keys and wallet, kissed Lindsey and ran out of the room.

"I love you! Don't wait up, babe!" She yelled.

_The Bronze, 8:27pm_

"Hey, Sean," Buffy tried getting the bartender's attention, "have you seen a girl about my height and build, brown hair?" When Sean shook his head, Buffy ordered a dirty martini.

"Had plans on standing me up?" Faith said, lowly in Buffy's ear. Tingles ran down Buffy's spine as she turned to face her new friend.

"No. Sorry I'm late. I couldn't decide on what to wear."

"Well, I can definitely say that you made the right decision." Faith said. She made no attempt at trying to conceal her wandering eyes.

Buffy felt her cheeks flush. "Thanks."

"Dirty martini. Looking good, Buffy." Sean said, tapping the bar behind her. "What's up, Faith?"

"Thanks, Sean." Faith said. She slid him a ten dollar bill and handed Buffy her drink.

It was then that Buffy noticed the neck of a Corona bottle in Faith's left hand.

"You're drinking tonight. I have to say, I'm surprised."

"Celebrations." Faith led Buffy up the black iron steps to the balcony. "We already have a table."

"We?" Buffy inquired.

"Spike, you remember Buffy, right?" Faith said, gesturing to her long-time friend.

"Absolutely. Nice to see you again." Spike said.

"Same to you."

The two women settled into the comfortable chairs. Buffy sat her drink on the table.

"So, the weather has been great, huh?" Faith joked. Casually, she took a sip of her beer.

"Continuing with the torture, I see."

"You can't just keep the girl in suspense all night." Spike grinned.

"Alright. What do you wanna know?" Faith leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and folding her hands together.

"The name."

"Michelle is my real middle name."

"And Albany?"

"My darkest nights and brightest days happened in Albany, New York. And sort of a homage to my family who are from Albania. What else?"

"Are you working on anything new? I mean, I know you just finished the _Re-birth Day Girl _series, but-."

"I'm always working on something new," interjected Faith. "If your next question is 'can I see whatever you're working on?', the answer is no. Don't take it personally, though. Even Spike doesn't get a preview. Anything else?"

"I don't know. I'm still in shock. I mean, I've idolized you as inspiration for most of my work since college. I'm totally going fangirl on you." Buffy gushed.

"Oh, stop, you're embarrassing me."

_Nonchalant, was an understatement._ It was as if Faith didn't even realize how amazing she truly was, let alone the impact that she'd had on Buffy's life.

"This doesn't mean you're going to start looking at me like I'm 'Faith, king of the gods', are you?"

"No, you narcissist, but I can't promise that I won't ask for an autograph."

"I'll sign anything you want," flirted Faith.

"Okay, I'm cutting you off." Buffy said. She reached over and grabbed Faith's beer, downing the rest in a few gulps.

Spike laughed. "My kind of woman."

Faith shot Spike a playful look that said, '_Back off, she's mine_'. Spike simply grinned.

_Two hours of dancing (and drinks) later..._

Buffy and Spike stood at the bar, waiting for their order. Apparently, Sean's shift was over and the new bartender was less than incompetent.

_Must be fresh out of bartending classes_, Buffy thought.

"You know she's looking at you right now." Spike said to Buffy. The more he drank, the thicker his accent got.

"How do you know that? You haven't even turned around."

"She's going to keep her eye on you now. She's infatuated by you, Goldilocks."

"You're drunk." Buffy attempted to laugh off Spike's words. At the same time, however, she wanted to hear more.

_A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts_, her mother, Joyce, had said once.

"No, I mean it. Besides, I'm English. I can drink you Yanks 'under the table', as you like to say." Spike could tell he'd peaked Buffy's curiousity. "And no matter how hard you try, her thrall will pull you in so deep, you won't be able to do anything but drown in her. So, pet, cling to that pretty, safe mister of yours as long as you can before it happens, yeah?"

Shock flashed across Buffy's face. She was determined to remained composed. Spike seemed as if he was talking from personal experience. Before she could answer, Spike grabbed two out of three drinks and headed back to their table with Buffy in tow.

"To new friends and much-needed night's out." Spike said, holding up his rum and coke.

"Here, here!" Buffy chimed in. Buffy had felt the alcohol coursing through her after her first three shots. Now, here she was, six shots, two dirty martinis, a Irish Trashcan, and half of a Corona later. Drunk and horny were the two understatements of the year.

"Faith, come dance." Buffy said. Had there been any more words in that sentence, Faith was sure that Buffy would have slurred them.

Buffy stood up and pulled Faith up, too. They headed down the stairs and made for the dance floor. The live band that the Bronze usually offered had been substituted for a wicked awesome DJ who continuously played the latest popular music. With_ Show Me Love_, a house music mix, playing, Buffy and Faith danced. The entire time they danced, the pair had to touch each other in some way; holding hands or Buffy's back to Faith's front.

_Trust, loyalty, and passion were all that Faith asked for. Unfortunately for Buffy, the trust, loyalty and passion would be her downfall._

_Thursday, 12:10am_

Buffy struggled to make the key to her loft fit into its lock. The jingling metal fell to the floor. Drunken giggling from Spike and Faith ensued as Buffy retrieved the keys and attempted it again. This time she was successful. Buffy shushed them as she opened the door.

"Thanks, guys." She pecked them each on the cheek, waved bye and shut the door as quietly as she could.

"Buffy?" Lindsey's voice said. _Busted._

"Hi baby." Buffy locked the door. She walked to the couch where he sat, bent down and kissed him.

"I take it you had a good night."

"I had an great night." Buffy's voice turned seductive. "But it's about to get better."

She reached behind her and successfully unzipped her dress on the first try. After a little pulling, the material fell to her ankles and she stepped out of it. Buffy stood in front of her fiance in her pumps, a black lace thong and a smile.

"Shit, I guess it is." Lindsey retorted. His hand found its way to his already hardening cock. He rubbed it through the soft material of his basketball shorts as he enjoyed the show.

Buffy turned around and as she slipped the lace from her ass, she bent over, allowing Lindsey a nice view of her pussy. Turning back around, she straddled his lap. Lindsey pulled her straightened hair from its hold and allowed her golden locks to assault his face as Buffy's lips found his. They kissed with fervor, only stopping when air was necessary. Buffy ground her hot, wet core against his clothed erection. She smirked when he moaned.

Buffy pushed and pulled until his shorts were to his knees. Her hand found his cock. Lindsey hissed. Buffy had no intentions on foreplay. She wanted it hard and fast and that's what she would get.

Still kissing him, she rose up and placed the thick head of his member against her opening. Buffy allowed the tip to enter, her pussy immediately suctioning him in. They both moaned into each other's mouths. She took him in, inch by inch until he buried deeply inside of her.

"So tight." Lindsey growled between kisses. Once Buffy got used to all eight inches, she started bouncing up and down on his dick. When she rose up, she squeezed her pussy muscles around him and more cream coated his tool.

"Unh... hunh! Shiiiiiiiit... so... fucking... good!" Buffy panted. As her body undulating on top of his, Lindsey grabbed Buffy's hips, helping her motion. Every time she came down, Lindsey thrust upwards. Sweat started forming on their bodies, soaking the couch with all of their bodily fluids.

Before long, Buffy could feel her orgasm rising. And rising. And rising.

"Ohmygod! Ohmygod! OHMYGOD!" Buffy yelled. Lindsey knew she was close. He hooked his hands on the back of knees and lifted her legs to his shoulders. He continuously thrust upwards. The head of of his cock massaged her g-spot with every movement.

"Huuuuunnnnhhhhh!" Buffy came loud and hard, a feral growl leaving her throat. Her pussy spasmed around his shaft and her body jerked uncontrollably. She climbed off of him and knelt between his legs. Buffy took him into her mouth, with no hands, and proceeded to suck her pussy juices off. She made slurping and sucking sounds as she took him deep into throat; she knew he liked that.

"Ohhhh... so good. You do it... perfect... so perfect. Yeah, suck it just like that." Lindsey said. His head switched between looking at Buffy's head bobbing in his lap and being thrown against the back of the couch.

"Ahh, sssss! Shit! I'm gonna cum!" Lindsey moaned. Letting his dick flop out of her mouth, Buffy jerked him off while she sweetly suckled on his balls.

"Oh fuck.. f-f-f-fuuuuuuuu-!" Lindsey yelled. He shot a hot, thick load of cum right into Buffy's hand.

Buffy smiled up at him. He pulled her face to him and kissed her.

"That was fucking amazing. You need to go out with Faith more often."

_Oh, I plan to_, Buffy thought,_ I definitely plan to_.

_**Up Next: Hangover Buffy and Faith shares a little more about her life.**_


	5. What You Don't Know

_**Chapter 5: What You Don't Know**_

_Friday, 11:00am, Galleria de Veranos_

"Buffy, my god, are you okay? You look terrible." Jasmine observed.

After informing Jasmine that she'd be late for work that morning, Buffy promptly downed two pots of coffee and three Aspirin. She walked into the office in her darkest Ray Bans and a grande espresso from Saxby's Coffee House.

"Yeah, I call it 'six shots of tequila hell'." Buffy responded. She walked into her office and closed the blinds. "I feel so nauseous."

"Serves you right for partying without me."

Despite her current desire to vomit, Buffy gave Jasmine a grin. "It was so much fun, Jas."

"I know. Spike shot me a text this morning. Told me I should have been there last night."

"You totally should have. Maybe you could have saved me-."

"From 'six shots of tequila hell'?" Jasmine finished for her.

"Bingo." Buffy put her head on her desk.

"Well, there's a lot to do today. Bridgette Blake from _Tabula Rasa _called to confirm her team would be sending over Michelle Albany's new series."

"When?"

"Sunday night at five p.m."

"Perfect. Are the authenticity papers coming with the pieces?"

"She's having them delivered Monday morning at nine a.m."

"Great." Buffy said, sipping from her coffee. "I need a caffeine IV drip before the Autism Awareness gala tonight."

Jasmine smiled. "Could you settle for some Tylenol?"

"Absolutely."

Around noon, things at the gallery slowed considerably. Buffy took the time to sit at her computer and feed her online shopping addiction. While browsing Neimann Marcus' shoe section, Buffy's mind started to wander.

_'...her thrall will pull you in so deep...'_

She glanced at her phone. She wondered what Faith was doing.

_'...you won't be able to do anything but drown in her.'_

"I'm not drowning. I'm not drowning. I'm swimming like an Olympic gold medalist, thank you very much." Buffy mumbled to herself.

_'...cling to that safe mister of yours as long as you can...'_

Buffy groaned inwardly. "Or maybe, it's just a doggy paddle." She tapped, albeit gently, her head repeatedly against her keyboard.

What was she getting herself into? She couldn't hurt Lindsey like this. Besides, emotional cheating is worse than actually physically cheating. Emotional cheating meant there was a deeper connection.

_I have to stop this. Right. Now. From this point on, there's no more seeing Faith, thinking of Faith or talking to Faith_, Buffy thought adamantly.

Buffy's cell phone chimed. She glanced at the screen to see an unsaved number calling her phone.

"Hello?"

"B, you sound almost as horrible as I feel." Faith's natural rasp was groggy as if she'd just awaken.

_Speak of the fucking Devil._

Buffy chuckled nervously. "Yeah. I feel pretty crappy."

_So much for not speaking to her, Summers_, Buffy scolded herself.

"What's wrong?" Faith asked, abruptly.

_How did she do that?_

"Nothing. Still a little nauseous."

"And?" Faith urged.

"And that's all. Why?"

"Are you giving everyone five words or less answers today? Or did you save that especially for me?"

Buffy sighed and rubbed her temples. "It's not on purpose. I promise." She lied. She had to keep the conversation concise.

"At least I got six that time." Faith said to herself. "What are you doing tonight?"

"There's an Autism Awareness event here tonight."

"Cool."

_Awkward silences. My favorite_, Faith though sarcastically.

"Okay, well," Faith began, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay after last night."

"That's really sweet. Thanks, Faith." Buffy kicked herself before saying, "You should come tonight... i-if you want."

"I'll think about it." Faith said, before hanging up. Buffy threw her phone back onto her desk.

It was no longer a doggy paddle. Buffy was _definitely _drowning.

_7:33pm, Galleria de Veranos_

Buffy floated gracefully around the Autism Awareness gala. A genuine smile had been plastered on her face since the event started. Buffy enjoyed charity work and this was just was she needed to lift her spirirts. Realizing that Faith had shared a valuable chunk of her private life with her made Buffy feel guilty about being so short with her.

She hoped that Faith would attend the event so that she would have the chance to apologize.

Just as Buffy was heading to the meditation room to chat up the head of the foundation, Jasmine placed her hand on Buffy's arm.

"What's up, Jas?" Buffy said, turning around. Jasmine leaned in to talk lowly in Buffy's ear.

"What?!" Buffy hissed at Jasmine. She smiled politely at two people who turned to look at her hushed outburst.

"I'm sorry, Buffy."

"You're not the only one." Buffy said, furious.

_4C, 8:01pm_

Buffy's little fist packed a nice punch as she pounded on Faith's door. After a few moments, Spike opened the door.

"Summers." Spike stated.

"Where the hell is she?" Buffy demanded.

"What's-?"

"_Where_," she repeated, "is she?"

Spike drank deeply from the brown liquor in his crystal glass. He grinned annoyingly at Buffy's manner.

"I will seriously smack that smirk off of your face, Spike."

"All right, all right. Don't go gettin' all huffy, pet. She's on the roof."

"You'd better not be fucking with me, Spike."

"Ooo-hoo. Blondie's gettin' all feisty. It's like you're a whole new person." He threw his empty hand up in surrender. "But, I mean it, love. She's on the roof. It's her favorite place to paint towards the end of the summer."

"Thanks." Buffy managed. She turned on her heel and headed up the stairs to the roof.

A warm gust of air caressed Buffy's face when she opened the door to the rooftop of her building. Many ranges of emotion built up inside of her when she spotted the brunette beauty, sitting on a wooden stool. An easel stood proudly in front of her, boasting an almost complete painting. Another stool sat beside her, holding a glass of, now, colorful water and a palette.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

Faith chuckled but said nothing. She dipped the tip of her paint brush into the glass of water.

"I thought I'd be seeing you soon."

"Damn, right. You revoked the confirmation of your series for removal from Tabula Rasa and transport to my place? What the hell for?"

Faith continued painting. "You're a fan. Tell me why I started painting."

Buffy threw her hands up. "I don't know. Lost a bet."

"My mom died."

Silence.

"She was everything to me. Sure, sometimes she wasn't the best mother in the world but she protected me. I painted for her. She was killed by some prick who wanted the gold necklaces around her neck and the forty-six dollars in her wallet." Faith fingered the two gold necklaces that hung from her neck.

"Faith, I-."

"So, I started painting. I started drinking. Hard. And I pulled my ex-girlfriend so deeply into my world that I ruined hers."

_Flashback..._

_"Faith, stop this!" A short, petite Hispanic woman grabbed the bottle of Jack Daniels from Faith's hand._

_"Come on, Kennedy! There's only a swallow left." A drunk Faith, grabbed ahold of the sofa back in order to stop herself from stumbling as she went after her girlfriend._

_"Faith, I'm not enabling you anymore. You need to stop drinking." She threw seven glossy pamphlets at her. "I _thought _you were going to try rehab, damn it!"_

_Faith laughed, drunkingly. "I will, mama. I will. I promise."_

_"When?"_

_"I'll go on Saturday." _

_"You said that a month ago. What about your art? You haven't painted a thing in nearly a year."_

_"Dude, give me a break. My mom just died."_

_"Nine months ago! They caught the prick, you got her necklaces back and you gave her the most beautiful ceremony ever. You could have learned Cantonese or driven around the entire United States and Europe. Hell, you could have gone through a whole pregnancy! Instead, you've become a depressive alcoholic. And what's worse: you've dragged me down with you! I don't have any friends and my family are still trying to figure out what I see in you."_

_Faith sighed. "Kennedy... just give me the bottle."_

_"Faith, you need to make a choice. It's either me or the alcohol." Kennedy sat the bottle on a nearby table._

_"You can't leave me."_

_"I can and I will. Make a choice. Now."_

_Faith pushed her thick hair out of her face. She walked to Kennedy... and past her. She grabbed the bottle and headed back to the couch._

_Kennedy's heart fell to the floor and Faith unknowingly stepped on it with her black Doc Martens. She walked to their bedroom and packed an overnight bag with as many pairs of clothes as she could fit._

_Picking up one of the rehab pamphlets from the floor, she dropped it in Faith's lap, kissed Faith's forehead and walked out of the door._

_End of flashback_

"After calling and texting her for the next two weeks with no response, I realized that I'd just lost the second greatest person in my life. Besides my mom, she was the only one who actually wanted to help me for nothing in return and I only pushed her away." Faith's voice was distant, sad. "She married another woman and they're trying for a baby now."

Buffy, who had sat on the edge of the roof, listening to the story, was shocked. "My mom died, too. She was my backbone."

Faith looked at the blonde and smiled sadly. "Come here." Faith added with a nod of her head. Buffy immediately stood up and walked to Faith.

"I pulled the series from your gallery because I want you to have them. For your personal collection."

"What? I... My... What?" Buffy mustered.

"_Re-birth Day Girl _is a series meant to be understood by she who has begun a new life. She who is reinventing and redefining herself." Faith put her feet on the ground and stood face to face with Buffy. "Call me crazy, but isn't that what you're doing?"

"How do you figure that?"

Faith stared into Buffy's eyes and, without answering, decided on a dimpled smile. "You're cute when you're angry at me."

"Shut up." Buffy couldn't help the smile that made its way across her face.

"I mean it. You came up here all, 'I am Buffy. Hear me roar.' I'm impressed, B. Didn't know you had it in you."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me."

"Sounds like a challenge."

Instead of answering, Buffy smirked at Faith, turned on her heels and walked back inside of her building.

_'You're like a whole new person'_, Spike's voice rang in Buffy's head.

_**Up Next: Buffy and Faith need to cool down. **__**And **__**dinner goes awry.**_


	6. Sexual Tension On A Platter

_**Chapter 6: Sex (Tension) On A Platter**_

_October, Saturday 5:45pm, Summers-McDonald Residence_

"_Nuh unh_! He did _not _say use the 'if I could rearrange the alphabet' line."

"I swear he did."

"Oh, come on. It was my first time clubbin' in the States and hangin' with American chaps."

Buffy, Faith and Spike had gathered for a spur-of-the-moment dinner. Faith sat on the counter next to the stove. Buffy stood at the stove, stirring the chicken alfredo. Spike was leaned over on the kitchen island, drinking a beer.

At this moment, his arm was outstretched, gesturing dismissively at Faith's complete and utter overexageration of their first meeting.

"Sure. Just blame the 'Yanks' for all your horrible misfortune." Buffy suggested.

"You know, I think I will."

"Anyway, we had an awkward sexual encounter-."

"Which we shall never speak of again," interrupted Spike.

"Right. And we've been pretty much inseperable since then."

"And this was _before _you met Kennedy, right?"

"Yeah. Way before."

"Alright, dinner's ready." Buffy said.

"I'll set the table. Chinaware and such, pet?"

"The plates are in the cupboard to your left and the silverware are in there." Buffy said, pointing as she spoke.

Spike got busy, getting the plates and utensils and headed to the dining room.

Buffy added a pinch of salt for taste and stirred once more. "Oh, Faith, could you hand me the serving bowl?"

"Yeah, sure." Faith hopped off of the counter. She grabbed the bowl. At the same time that she turned to give Buffy the bowl, Buffy turned to say something.

"Oh!" Buffy gasped. Before she dropped it, Faith placed the item on the counter next to Buffy.

The space between them was almost nonexistent. Brown eyes met green eyes. The brunette moved to fill the space between herself and the blonde. There was an audible intake of breath and Faith moved closer, closing the space altogether. One of Faith's hands found its way to Buffy's hip, brushing the exposed skin between her jeans and vintage rock band t-shirt. The other brushed under her Buffy's blonde locks, resting on the soft space between her ear and neck. Buffy placed her hand on Faith's wrist as Faith began leaning in.

"Ahem."

Buffy gasped, gently pushing Faith a little further away. She cleared her throat.

"The table's set." Spike interrupted.

"Uh... thanks, Spike."

Buffy turned around, busying herself with empyting the contents of the teflon skillet into the serving bowl. While she was turned around, Spike rose a scarred eyebrow at Faith and smirked.

With her thumb and pointer finger close together, Faith mouthed, "_This. Close_."

A key turned in the lock and Lindsey walked in, dropping his suit jacket and briefcase on the sofa.

"Buffy, it smells great in here." He walked into dining room.

"Hey, honey. You remember Faith and William."

"Yeah, of course. From 4C. How's it going?" He waved at Faith and shook Spike's hand, as he was closer.

"Pretty good."

"We're having chicken alfredo. Sound good?"

"Sounds great." He answered, kissing his future bride. Lindsey sat down at the head of the table, Buffy at the other end.

"So, let's grub."

Thirty minutes into their friendly meal, the chatter never ceased or got old or awkward. It seemed that while the two were on different career paths, Spike and Lindsey had much in common. Especially their extremely disturbing desire for the soap opera _Passions_.

"So, we should probably add your names on the guest list for the wedding." Lindsey said. "You are are definitely friends now."

"Why? Because Spike shares your passion for _Passions_?" Buffy joked.

"That's just a bonus. Spike and Faith, you two are super cool people. Really."

"When's the wedding?" Faith asked. Her feigned interested excitement went unnoticed by Lindsey but not by Spike or Buffy.

Spike cleared his throat.

"April thirteenth. So, you two have six months to prepare." Lindsey answered.

"Hmm. That's awesome. Could you?" Faith said, lifting her empty wine glass to Lindsey. He poured her a glass of wine; her first of the night. Buffy watched the interaction and inhaled deeply.

This was not good.

_This is going just swimmingly_, Buffy thought, sarcastically.

"Where are you guys going for your honeymoon?"

"We haven't decided yet."

"You guys should try Albania." Faith smirked, drinking from her wine glass. Buffy shot Faith a look that read '_play nice_'.

"Why Albania?"

"It's beautiful, man. Besides, everyone could use a little bit of Albania in them."

Buffy choked on her wine. She pounded her fist against her chest as she tried to clear her airways by coughing.

"Buffy!" Spike and Lindsey jumped up at the same time.

Buffy held up a hand. "I'm okay. That's what I get for drinking more than my limit."

"You alright? Need some water?" Spike asked.

"No, I'm fine. So, new topic: who's washing the dishes?"

"We have a dishwasher."

"But it always leaves the dishes all... streaky." Buffy whined.

"Spike? You mind giving me a hand?" Lindsey asked.

"Not at all, mate."

* * *

"Hey, Miss Passive-Agressive Girl, you wanna tone it down a notch?" Buffy huffed.

She and Faith sat on the couch. The TV displayed a variety of irrelevant images, ignored by Faith and Buffy.

"What? It was only a joke, B." Her dimpled smile broke out and Buffy had to remember to breathe.

"You can't just flash a pretty smile and expect to be forgiven."

"Of course I can."

Buffy could see why Kennedy had put up with so much of Faith's bullshit. Faith held in her posession the sweetness of a child and the aggression of a sexual prowess. She made you want to forgive her for even the simplest thing: such as a joke. Buffy wanted to protect Faith and fight her in bed at the same time.

"I can keep a secret. Can you?" Faith asked, abruptly.

Buffy was unsure if there was a double meaning behind Faith's words. Sensing that she was confused, Faith inched her hand to where Buffy's. She gently caressed the back of Buffy's hand with her pointer finger.

"Faith... I-I can't." Faith retracted her hand and smiled again.

"Understood, B."

_'...cling to that safe mister of yours as long as you can...'_

Maybe Buffy wasn't going to drown after all. Maybe Faith's 'thrall' wasn't as good as Spike thought. Maybe, just maybe, Buffy was keeping her head above water.

_**Up Next: Halloween at Dawn's apartment. Plus, good advice from Willow.**_


	7. Ghouls And Goblins

_**A/N: This chapter is A LOT shorter than the others but it's a set up for the last 5 chapters of Part I. Also, you guys have been awesome with reviewing. Keep it up! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. (: Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 7: Ghouls & Goblins**_

_Wednesday, Halloween, Dawn's campus apartment, 8:00pm_

Buffy's little sister, Dawn, opened up her apartment door dressed as a naughty librarian. Or was she a school teacher? Buffy controlled the urge to roll her eyes. When she was in college, the students still dressed like pumpkins and large M&Ms. It was obvious that Buffy's youth was officially nonexistent.

Maybe it was the 'mom hair', or the fact that she had the sudden urge to pull off her own coat and wrap it around Dawn's half-naked body. Whatever the case may be, she felt a little silly, recycling her Little Red Riding Hood costume from freshman year of college. After all, it still fit. _Kudos to Zumba classes._

"Buffy! You made it! Willow! Tara!" Dawn yelled each other their names as she hugged them. Her voice competed with the sound of the throbbing bass. It was Dawn's last year in college and apparently, she was going out with a bang. There were dozens of people crowded into the campus apartment.

"Of course we made it. Now, point me in the direction of the tequila." Buffy told Dawn. The younger Summers pointed to the kitchen as she closed the front door.

"Xander! I didn't know you were back in town! How was your trip to London?"

"I got there, got mugged by a _very _smoking hot blonde woman who seduced me, and then I worked for about a month at a place called _Girls!Girls!Girls!_ as a bartender and I just got back a week ago."

"_Girls!Girls!Girls!_?" Buffy inquired.

"I'll kill myself if you make me tell you that story."

Buffy snorted and handed him a shot. "To London and strip clubs."

"Cheers." Xander and Buffy knocked back their first shots of the night.

* * *

"...and then Spike walked in and cleared his throat." Buffy finished.

Willow's mouth hung open. "B-but, you... you're not gay, Buffy."

"Shh!" Buffy hissed.

Willow looked around and then leaned in closer. "What are you thinking about, Buffy? If you were older, I'd be asking if you're going through a midlife crisis."

"I don't know, Will. I have no idea what I'm doing. Lindsey is the most perfect man and he actually wants to marry me. But Faith is enticing."

"Does the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat' come to mind?"

"I know. It's just that-."

"No excuses, Buffy. You'll only end up breaking Lindsey's heart and wind up filled with regret."

Buffy knew that Willow was right. Sometimes, a girl just had to hear it from her best friend.

The rest of the night involved thinking, drinking quite heavily and dancing with her friends. Buffy needed to get her mind off of Faith... until the morning, at least. It was decided, by Willow, that Buffy would put her foot down. She and Faith could only be friends. After all, Lindsey was dependable, lovable, smart, kind and, yes, _safe_.

_November, Friday, Saxby's Coffee, 2:30pm_

"So, this must be serious, huh?" Faith observed.

"Why do you say that?" Buffy replied.

"Because you invited me to coffee a half an hour ago and since we've gotten here, you haven't said two words to me since."

She and Buffy sat across from each other in a quiet corner of the quaint coffeehouse.

"I'm sorry. Honestly, I'm a little nervous." She picked at the coffee holder.

"What's wrong?"

"We've known each other a few months now a-and, we're pretty good friends, right?"

Faith sat there, waiting for the punch line.

"Well, that's just what we have to be. Only. You know, friends."

"You're cute when you get wordy... friend." Faith smirked as she sipped from her coffee. It seemed that rendering Buffy speechless was just one of Faith's many talents.

"Faith!" Buffy whined.

"Buffy!" Faith mocked, jokingly.

"This isn't a joke."

"I know it's not and I get it. Just friends. Nothing more."

"You're taking this surprisingly well."

"So are you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. It was just something to say." Faith said.

"What? Did you expect me to be heartbroken? Grief-stricken? Falling all over you?" Buffy rambled. "I really just got defensive, didn't I?"

Faith smirked and drank from her coffee again. Sometimes, Buffy just wanted to slap that cocky grin off of her face.

"I wanna slap you."

"And then kiss me?"

"Faith."

"Sorry. Sorry. You walked right into that one."

"I did not!" Buffy was so flustered. Her cheeks were turning red. She blew breath out of her cheeks and pushed her hair back with both hands.

"Well, I'm glad you wanted to talk because I have something to tell you."

"What's that?" Buffy leaned back in her chair.

Faith pulled a carton of cigarettes from her jean jacket pocket and pulled one out. "I'm going on vacation."

"Oh," Buffy said, disappointment in her voice. "I mean, oh? Where to?"

"Yeah. Maybe Italy. Maybe Greece. Who knows?" Faith put the cigarette between her lips and patted her pockets for her lighter.

"For how long?"

"Dunno. A few weeks, maybe a few months." Finding her lighter, Faith moved to light it.

Buffy quickly snatched the lighter out of her hand and slipped it into the pocket of the peacoat on the back of her chair. "Will you be back before Christmas?"

"I don't know, B."

"Well, when do you leave?"

"Monday."

"That's so soon."

"Gonna miss me?"

"Of course, _F_." Buffy raised an eyebrow and drank from her coffee, her smile reaching her eyes.

_I'll play. As long as we both know how this game ends_, Faith thought.

_**Up Next: Wedding plans, Thanksgiving, post cards, and Christmas. **_


	8. Family Holidays

_**A/N: According to her Wiki page, Faith was born on December 14th. Decided to throw that little slice of trivia pie out there into the Universe. Enjoy and remember to review. Please. (:**_

_**Chapter 8: Family Holidays**_

_November, Thanksgiving, 5:00pm_

"Dinner is served," announced Buffy. _Hello, Buffybot, circa 1952._

Clad in jeans, a maroon and goldenrod Sunnydale HS Razorbacks long-sleeved shirt, and Ugg boots, Buffy had prepared a complete feast. Tendrils of blonde tresses fell from her messy bun as she placed the twenty-pound turkey in the center of the table. Applause came from the living room as everyone made their way to the dining room table.

In attendance to Buffy's dinner were Dawn, Willow, Tara, Xander, Andrew and Anya. From Lindsey's group of friends, Liam (or Angel as everyone called him), Cordelia, Fred and Gunn had shown their faces. Buffy couldn't have been more pleased at the turnout, especially when it was known that she wasn't the greatest cook in the world. This year, however, Buffy put a lot more energy, time, and passion into Thanksgiving dinner this year. It left less room for thinking. And thinking was definitely a bad idea.

"Buffy, this looks absolutely amazing." Angel commented.

"Thanks, Angel." Buffy responded.

"Yeah, Buffy. You did an awesome job," added Dawn.

"Thanks, guys. Lindsey," Buffy urged her fiance, "will you do the honors?"

Lindsey accepted the utensils and cut into the turkey as Buffy took her seat.

Food, wine and conversation were passed around the table. Though the only two blood-related family in the room were Dawn and Buffy, this was truly their family. They'd all gone through so much. Buffy was sure that if there was ever some sort of Apocalypse, the people who were now in the room, would be behind her until the very end.

"Buffy, what was Faith doing for the holidays?" Lindsey asked. A blonde head shot up from her plate. She glanced at Willow who raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

"Oh, I have no idea. She's in Greece or Italy or somewhere exotic." Buffy responded.

"Well, let's hope she's having a safe holiday." Tara said.

_So much for not thinking._

_Flashback (three days prior, Monday)..._

_Walking to the mailbox in her comfiest sweatpants, Buffy pulled her hair up into a ponytail. She unlocked her mailbox, grabbed her mail and locked the box back. _

_"Bill. Bill. Bill. Junk mail." Buffy muttered to herself. She walked up the steps and stopped mid-stride. "A letter."_

_Buffy opened up the white envelope that was postmarked from Athens and nearly tripped up the last step. _

_"_B,

I tumbled out of Albania and fell into Greece about two days ago. Yesterday, I decided to go to the coast and paint. It was supposed to help me stop thinking about your face, but I painted you instead. Everything in me wanted to throw it into the blue water, but I sent it to you. Anyway, I hope everything in your life is easier without me around. Clearer. Safer. Have a good holiday.

F.

_Buffy kicked the door to her loft closed with her foot and headed to her bedroom. She folded the letter back up and placed it in a small chest in her walk-in closet. It was at that moment that Buffy decided to throw herself into making the upcoming holiday the most special one yet. _

_End of flashback_

"So, Buffy, what games do we have to play tonight?"

"Uh, _Pictionary_, _Charades_, _Outburst!_, _Yahtzee_, _Clue_, _Monopoly_. You pick." Buffy told him.

"Come on, Dawny. Let's go pick something out." Xander and Dawn rushed from the table, heading to the closet of Buffy's guest room. Buffy rolled her eyes. No matter how old the two of them got, they were still the biggest kids in their group of friends; or the Scooby gang as Lindsey called them.

"Buffy, dinner was absolutely amazing." Gunn complimented. His girlfriend, Fred, nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, Buffy. I can't believe you did all of this by yourself."

Compliments flew around the table in honor of Buffy's dinner, making the blonde blush.

"Sometimes you never what you're capable of until you just dive head first into it without any safety net." Buffy found herself saying.

_Whoa. Compensation much?_

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Buffy?" Willow asked.

"It's true," Buffy defended herself, "I did it with my art gallery."

"You know, I have to agree with Buffy. If we're always afraid, how do we expect to live a truly fulfilling life." Tara agreed.

An hour later, Buffy sat on the tan, leather recliner with her feet under her butt, a mug of steaming pumpkin spice coffee in her hands. She had zoned out somewhere between Charades and Monopoly, opting to be the scorekeeper and banker, respectively.

"Buffy, is everything okay?" Cordelia asked.

"Huh? What?"

"I asked if everything was okay."

"Oh, yeah. I was just thinking about, uh, wedding plans. I've still got so much to do."

"What about your wedding planner?"

"I wanted to choke her. So, I opted to fire her instead." Buffy grinned smugly and sipped from her coffee. "Besides, all of the big things are taken care of. Except, of course, our dresses."

_Tuesday, 2:44pm_

With Lindsey already back at work, Buffy was home, alone, enjoying her last day off before she had to go back to work when the doorbell rang. She sat her bowl of cereal down on kitchen island before heading to answer the door.

"Hi, Buffy Summers?" The FedEx man asked, looking over his chart.

"That's me."

He asked Buffy to sign for the package. She obliged. Leaning over, he pulled an incredibly large, wrapped canvas from its place against the wall.

"It's pretty heavy. Do you need help carrying it?" He asked.

"Thanks, I got it." Buffy bent at the knees and hoisted the covered painting herself. "I work out a lot."

The man nodded and walked off as Buffy kicked the door closed with her foot. Buffy unwrapped her package after placing it on the sofa.

"Oh my god. Faith!" Buffy yelled aloud.

The portrait was Buffy's face, brilliantly painted. The likeness was uncanny. The night's sky was the backdrop, just as Faith had remembered Buffy when she told her about her mother and her alcohol addiction. Buffy stared into her own green eyes in the painting. Faith had captured the anger that burned inside of her, yet the pity that she felt for Faith at the same time. A few locks of blonde hair floated past Buffy's face as if a small breeze was blowing.

After a few more moments of taking in the entire painting, Buffy poured herself a fifth of Scotch on the rocks, got the tool box and set to work, placing the work of art on the wall in the hallway.

_December 14, Heavenly Ski Resort, South Lake Tahoe, 5:50pm_

After skiing and an early dinner, Buffy headed back to the warmth of her room. She kicked her feet up with a mug of tea. Lindsey had decided to go to the lodge's bar with Gunn, leaving Buffy in total silence, peace and quiet.

She picked up her cell, tapped a few buttons.

"You've got Faith. Be creative." _Beep_.

"Hey, Faith. I-It's Buffy. I know today is a special day. I just wanted you to know that I remembered. After all, I'm your biggest fan. Anyway, I hope your vacation is going well. Hope you're being safe. Oh, I got your painting. It was... beautiful. Thanks. Well, I guess I'll talk to you... or see you... whenever." Buffy paused, then added, lovingly, "Happy birthday, Faith. Make it a good one."

Buffy was sure she wouldn't hear from Faith. It was apparent that Buffy had hurt Faith, even though the tough girl would never admit it. Still, Buffy held a little hope in her heart. Despite not being able to be Faith's lover like Faith had wanted, Buffy wanted to keep the somewhat younger woman as a friend.

Besides, who the hell did Faith think she was, assuming that Buffy would just sleep with her? Assuming that she would just fall under Faith's spell! Assuming that Buffy was even into that sort of thing.

And yet, Buffy couldn't stop herself from falling asleep with Faith on her mind.

_Christmas Day, Summers-McDonald Residence,_

The day seemed to fly by, with friends and family stopping by off and on, giving and receving gifts. Buffy, however, still found a little time to run upstairs and slip a simple Christmas card under Faith's door. Just in case.

Before Buffy knew it, she had had too much of Lindsey's famous egg nog that knocked her on her ass every year. Lying down on the couch, Buffy pulled the decorative afghan onto her body and closed her eyes. Her mother's face flashed before her eyes.

There wasn't a day that went by when something didn't happen that she wanted to tell her mother, Joyce. Buffy missed her mother everyday but, it was the holidays that she wished she could be with her one last time. To tell her that she loved her, and that she'd take care of Dawn. And ask her advice about Faith. Yeah, Joyce would know what to do.

She always seemed to have the answers to even the most unsolvable of problems.

"I wish you were here, Mom. You'd know what to do." Buffy mumbled to herself, before drifting off.

_**Up Next: New Years at the Bronze and all Buffy wants to do is be alone.**_


	9. New Year, Same Shit

_**Chapter 9: New Year... Same Shit**_

_Summer-McDonald Residence, 11:30pm_

"Buffy, get your ass up and let's go."

"Wills, I just want to sit here in front of my TV, eating takeout and having a glass of wine." Buffy argued.

"That's pathetic and you know it. Lindsey's already there with Xander."

Willow grabbed Buffy's hand, pulled her best friend down the hall and into her bedroom. Buffy crossed her arms and sat on the bed, watching Willow flip through the hangers in her closet. She pulled a dress off of its slip-free hanger and threw it to Buffy. It landed on top of Buffy's head, blocking her view. She rolled her eyes as she pulled it into her lap.

"Willow, I'm not going."

"I can't hear you over this Marc Jacobs dress!" Willow yelled back.

"Why can't I just ring in the new year by myself?"

"You mean why can't you ring in the new year with a lesser chance of running into Faith?"

"Faith is in Greece."

"She's on a tourist visa. She can't stay there forever. Let alone, stay away from you for so long."

"Nothing is going on between Faith and I, Will. Before she left, I made it clear that I'm marrying Lindsey. She understands."

"Let me tell you a little something about the 'Buffy Charm'. Once people fall in love with you, they seem to find it a little hard to fall _out _of love with you."

"That's not true."

"Angel? Riley?" Willow popped her head back out again.

"Well, Angel's just a great friend now and Riley is married with a kid on the way, so there goes that theory."

Ignoring her, Willow continued, "Besides those relationships never ended, they just stopped."

"Willow! Listen to me. There's nothing going on!"

"Okay, okay. I believe you." Willow said, sincerely. "Now, can we find an outfit for you to wear tonight?"

"No because I'm not going."

_Half an hour later, The Bronze_

"Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!" The crowd at the Bronze shouted at the top of their lungs. Once the crystal ball dropped in Times Square on the flat screen TVs, the live band started playing. The dance floor became jam-packed with young people, having the time of their lives.

"Is that Spike?" Lindsey asked Buffy. He pointed past the crowd to the other side of club. Sure enough, there was the ripped, bleach-blonde Brit, chatting up a bimbo.

"I should go say 'hi'."

"Say 'hey' for me, too." Lindsey replied. Buffy nodded and headed past the bar to Spike.

"Hey, Spikey."

Spike turned around, immediately recognizing the small, nasal voice. Buffy stood with her hands behind her back, twisting from side to side at the waist.

"Hello, pet. Hope your holiday went swimmingly. How's your New Years'?"

"Ehh. New year, same shit." Buffy admitted, shrugging.

"Likewise. Have you bumped into your brunette counterpart yet?"

The smile fell from Buffy's face. "She's here?"

"Of course. She found some bouncy little twit to dance with. Don't worry though, you're still the only blonde in her life."

"Ha. Ha. _Ha_. I always knew you weren't a real blonde." Buffy said. Her words had been dipped and spread evenly in sarcasm.

"Speak of the devil." Spike said. He turned her around to see Faith and model-like woman, hand-in-hand, walking off of the dance floor.

"Excuse me." Buffy said. She turned on her heel and walked in the opposite direction, back to her table before Faith could spot her. Spike simply shook his head.

For the next hour, Buffy found herself dodging Faith around every turn. When Buffy was leaving the dance floor, Faith was heading on. After Faith left the bathroom, she walked passed Buffy in line; Buffy turned her head, pretending to look at a band poster. Finally, Buffy decided she'd be safer sitting at a table on the balcony level.

"Buffy, get back out on the dance floor and get your Funky Monkey on." Xander demanded.

"I'll pass. I think I'm going to get another drink. Anybody want anything else? My treat."

"No, I'm good." Willow said, holding up her still-full drink.

"Same." Tara added.

"Another Corona, please," piped Lindsey.

"And another rum and coke." Dawn added.

Buffy headed to the bar and placed her orders. When her drinks were placed in front of her on a serving tray, Buffy paid the bartender and slipped the change in her back pocket.

"You must have gotten so thirsty from avoiding me."

Buffy's hands froze just as she was about to pick up the tray. The smiling brunette's face made its appearance on Buffy's left.

"Faith. I-I haven't been-."

"Of course not." Faith cut her off. It was obvious that she wasn't going to believe the lie that was about to form on Buffy's lips.

A change of subject was in order. "How, uh, how was your trip?"

"Totally kick-ass."

"When did you get back?"

"A week ago."

"Where's your bimbo? I mean, dance partner." Buffy smiled back.

"Whoa. Jealous, B?"

"No."

"You're the only blonde in my life." Faith smirked.

"I haven't heard that before." Buffy snorted.

"Can I at least have a hug? I almost died coming back to the States, ya know."

"You're so dramatic. You did not almost die." Buffy laughed and finally turned to Faith.

"I thought the plane was gonna crash. There was so much turbulence."

Faith pulled Buffy to her and wrapped her arms around her waist. Buffy put her arms around Faith's neck and enjoyed the hug. The two breathed each other in; the first physical contact between the petite women in nearly three months.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too. I'm glad you had a good vacation." Buffy pulled away from Faith. Silence fell over them with Faith looking Buffy up and down, not the least unfazed by their little reunion. It was obvious that Buffy was uncomfortable. About what, Faith was unsure.

"Well, I-I should probably-." Buffy pointed in the direction of her fiance and their friends.

"Yeah," Faith said, "I guess you probably should."

"I'll see you around."

"Sure, B."

"But let's get together."

A smirk from Faith.

"_I mean, for lunch_!" Buffy practically whined.

"I got it. I got it. Damn, B. Relax."

Buffy took the drinks back to the table. Faith watched Buffy walk away and was joined by Spike at the bar.

"So, how goes the affair?"

"Right on schedule."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'll be breaking her in before May." Faith said, unconcernedly.

She knocked back the shot that was placed in front of her then walked back to the dance floor to find her 'bimbo'. It was time she got out of the Bronze and got the model into bed.

_**Up Next: Dinner with Faith.**_


	10. Words With No Meaning

_**A/N: For the record, Mr. Chow restaurant is a truly upscale restaurant chain (California, London, Miami, Las Vegas & New York). The food and service is PHENOMENAL (and so is your bill!). But BELIEVE ME, I had a great time, erm, 'researching' for this chapter! Lol. P.S. They don't have menus but I took the artistic license (yadda, yadda, yadda). Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 10: Words With No Meaning**_

_Three weeks later... Friday, Galleria de Veranos 6:00pm_

"Faith, hey! I'm glad I caught you. I wanted to know if you wanted to do dinner, tonight?" Though Buffy's heart was racing at Olympic speeds, her voice was calm as a cucumber.

"I don't know, B. I'm kind of going through a crisis right now."

"Then, we _have _to go out. Get your mind off of it. Come on. Mr. Chow, eight-thirty. My treat." Buffy suggested.

Faith hesitated. Buffy heard her blow breath out of her mouth. "Uh, sure. Yeah. Why not? Only it'll be my treat."

"Okay. I'll meet you there." Buffy hung up and grabbed her bags. After locking up her office and the front door, Buffy headed home.

When she arrived, Buffy kissed her fiance and gave a little small talk. She told him what her plans were and vice versa, before heading to the master bedroom to shower. Afterwards, she blew her hair dry and then straightened it before putting on a pair of dark grey, pinstriped slacks and a white, chiffon top. Finally, Buffy applied a little eyeliner and mascara.

"You look beautiful, babe. Have a good time. Tell Faith I said hey."

"Will do." Buffy leaned over the back of the couch and gave him a quick upside down kiss. "I won't be out too late."

"I'll try not to miss you too much." He answered, smiling.

_Mr. Chow, 8:37pm_

Despite the countless celebrities dining in the elegant, dim atmosphere of the restaurant, Faith and Buffy were seated immediately. Although Faith didn't have any pull, 'Michelle Albany', in fact, did. They were seated at a private table where they wouldn't be disturbed.

"What? No dark sunglasses and fedora, Miss Albany?" Buffy asked, looking over the menu.

Faith just smiled at her dinner companion, chewing her gum. "The more inconspicuous you try to be, the more the paparazzi click away. Besides, I'm not a TV or movie star. Or a musician. Most people could care less about the art world."

"Most people are sheep."

Faith sipped from her lemon water, and nodded in agreement. "This is true."

"So, what's taking my Faith away from me? What's this big crisis?"

"I like your hair like that." Faith blurted out.

Buffy was speechless for a few heartbeats, trying to contain the inevitable blush that was approaching. "Thanks. Now, don't change the subject."

A sigh from Faith. "Apparently, my agent doesn't want to be my agent anymore."

"Why not?"

"She feels that she can get more money from an artist that actually gets paid to attend events."

"What's her percentage when you sell a painting?"

Faith gave a chuckle. "Wouldn't _you _like to know?"

"Yes, yes I would, actually."

"Let's just say my work paid for her family's summer home."

"Damn."

"So, now I've got to find another agent before I finish my next series or they'll just be sitting in my apartment, collecting dust."

"I doubt that. You're too talented for that to happen."

"Thanks."

"How are you ladies doing tonight?"

"Fine, thanks." Buffy answered.

"Good. I'm Tru and I'll be your server this evening. Tonight, the chef insists you try his fresh shrimp cakes for your hors d'oeuvres. Can I start you ladies off with drinks?"

Faith nodded at Buffy to order first.

"Belvedere on the rocks."

"And you?" Tru turned back to Faith.

"A continuous rum and coke, please." Faith told her. Buffy shot her a look.

"You got it. Do you know what you'd like to order or do you need a few more minutes?" Tru inquired.

"We'll start off with the fresh shrimp cakes and your rice paper wrap prawns. And we'll need a few more minutes to decide on everything else." Faith answered.

"Okay. Your hor d'oeuvres will be out shortly."

Once she'd walked away, Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and leaned on the table. Faith sat back, still chewing her gum.

"It's obvious you have something to say."

"You're damn right." Buffy leaned in, hissing, "A continuous rum and coke?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, _mom_."

"I'm not trying to be your mom."

"No, just my sobriety coach."

"Stop it. I don't want to fight with you." Buffy's voice was soft and child-like.

Faith sighed, chewing her gum a little more furious. It was true; her recent predicament had caused her to order alcohol that would be continued each time their waitress saw her glass empty. But Buffy was just trying to be helpful and supportive.

"I'm sorry."

Buffy raised a perfectly-shaped eyebrow. Faith reached over the table and pulled at Buffy's arm until she unfolded it.

"I'm sorry." Faith repeated. "I'm just... frustrated."

"Meaning your agent situation." It was more of a statement than a question.

Faith gave a mischievous grin. "Yeah. That too."

Buffy couldn't help but grin back. "Stop it. You promised you'd be on your best behavior."

"When did I promise that?"

"Oh, that's right. I didn't get you to sign that contract, did I?" Buffy said, tapping her head as if she'd truly forgotten something.

Faith snapped her fingers, feigning frustration. "Darn. You sure didn't." A server set their drinks down in front of them, the pair never taking their eyes off of each other.

Desire sparked and burned in Faith's light brown eyes. Buffy stared back at her, green eyes displaying a playfulness that Faith had never seen before. The brunette was careful not to say anything that would change that.

"Your fresh shrimp cakes and rice paper wrap prawns, ladies. Have you decided on your main course?"

"Uh, shark fin soup and drunken fish." Buffy ordered.

"And can I have the sauteed sea bass fillet and the fresh crab meat soup?"

"Absolutely. We'll have that for you in just a little while." And with that, Tru was gone.

"So, what can I do to help you with your situation?"

"You're doing it. Really. You were right. I did need a night out. It's better than angrily throwing paint cans against a canvas. Although, come to think of it, you could be pulling away from a potential masterpiece." Faith grinned.

"Well then, by all means, leave me here, sad and vulnerable." Buffy said, dramatically.

"Vulnerable, huh? I like that sound of that." Faith joked back.

"I bet you do."

Thirty minutes later, the pair dove deep into conversation and exquisite gourmet food, visited every so often by their waitress. Faith entertained Buffy with stories of her wild party life, gaining laughs and looks of shock from Buffy.

"You've done everything except have an affair."

Faith nearly choked on her fourth rum and coke. "I mean, it is on my bucket list."

"That's not something you should aspire to."

"I don't aspire to half the shit I've done in my life. It just happened."

"An affair doesn't just happen."

"Actually it does, B. People don't premeditate or calculate an affair. It just happens. You can't help who you fall for."

"Two people shouldn't start an affair if one or both of them are already in a committed relationship. It's cruel to their significant others."

"Humans aren't meant to be monogamous. We're meant to be polyamorous."

"That's animalistic. We're not animals."

"Sure we are. Isn't that all passion is? Isn't that was sex is? Returning to our animalistic nature. Just getting down and dirty." She unfolded the thin aluminum wrapper from a stick of gum and slipped it into her mouth.

"Is this conversation going somewhere? Or are you going to keep using words that hold no meaning?" Buffy inquired. As Buffy sipped from her condensing water glass, it was apparent to Faith that Buffy knew exactly what she was implying. Though, she was too much of a Goody Two-Shoes to admit it.

Faith sat back, chewing her gum calmly, rolling it around in her mouth with her tongue. Buffy found herself wondering what that tongue would feel like pressed against her...

"Let's do it, B."

"Do what?"

"Find ourselves entangled in a liason. What do the French call it? _Affaire de coeur_?"

"What?!" Buffy hissed as quietly as possible.

"I stuttered?"

"I'm sorry. I was just waiting for the _goddamn punchline_." Buffy was torn between a state of disbelief and one of utter intrigue. "Are you insane?"

"Some might say." Faith shrugged.

"_I might say_! Faith, I'm getting married in four months."

"So, we have plenty of time."

Buffy fanned herself. Suddenly, it had gotten quite warm in the restaurant. "I can't cheat on Lindsey."

"Won't."

"Do you have an answer for everything?"

"No."

That threw Buffy for a loop. "Faith, I want you in my life. I really do, but not at the cost of my relationship with Lindsey. And it's a good relationship. We're happy, healthy and, yeah, okay, sure, _safe_. But I like safe. What's wrong with safe?"

"Who said anything was wrong with safe?"

"Spike."

"Spike?" Confusion was written on Faith's face. "What did he say to you?"

Buffy sighed, rubbing her temples. "Nothing. Just... nothing."

"Tell me."

_Summers-McDonald Residence, 10:10pm_

Buffy walked into her loft, sighing. She hung up her jacket, and took off her pumps. Heading to the bathroom, Buffy shed her clothes and got into the shower, hoping to wash away her entire night.

Buffy sat down in the shower and brought her knees up to her chest. Her fingertips brushed her lips before her tears mixed with the warm stream of water.

_**Up Next: Flashback to what happened after dinner & Buffy ignores Faith on Valentine's Day.**_


	11. Greeting Card Holiday

_**A/N: Okay, okay! I admit it, I loved leaving you guys hanging at the end of chapter 10. Allow me to scold myself. (Bad Desi. Bad, bad Desi.) Anyways, I hope you guys aren't dissapointed by the end of this chapter. Although, I highly doubt you will be. (: P.S. The song Spike covers in this chapter is an amazing one called "Wish You Were" by Kate Voegele. I recommend that you listen to her acoustic version to get a feel for it. **_

_**Chapter 11: Greeting Card Holiday**_

_February 14 (St. Valentine's Day), 3:30pm, Galleria de Veranos_

It had been storming nonstop for the past two weeks; flood warnings were in effect. Lindsey was away on business for the next five days. There wasn't a snowball's chance in Hell that Buffy would stay at home, alone, with her thoughts. She had to get to work and busy herself. That was what she did best; distract herself.

"Stop avoiding me."

"Stop calling me at work." Buffy hung up the office phone. Two minutes later, it rang again.

_When is Jasmine coming back from lunch_, Buffy thought.

"Buffy Summers."

"Don't hang up on me, B."

"Why? What you're suggesting is ridiculous."

"All I asked for was drinks at the Bronze tonight?"

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Just giving you what you want, B."

"This is what you want. I don't want to have an affair."

"Guilty conscience. First, I haven't said anything about having an affair in two weeks. And by the way this coming from the woman who started the whole thing."

"Ugghh!" Was all Buffy could manage. It was true. She had started it. And not just after their dinner. She had started it months ago, when she first invited Faith to her and Lindsey's housewarming. Buffy had no one to blame but herself.

_Flashback (dinner at Mr. Chow)_

_"Buffy? What did Spike say to you?" Faith repeated herself._

_"He just spoke from experience, that's all."_

_"Specifically, his experience with what?"_

_"With you." Buffy sighed. She knew that Spike had said what he said in confidence that Buffy wouldn't blab to Faith and yet that's exactly what she was doing at the moment. Still, there was something about the look in Faith's eyes that made Buffy want to spill her heart out. She was serious but at the same time, amused?_

_Suddenly, Faith laughed heartily. "Lemme guess. Hmmm. He said that I'll pull you into my world and ruin yours. What with your safe boyfriend and all?"_

_Buffy opened her mouth, stuttered, and then closed it again. Faith sat back against her chair, easily, waiting for Buffy to respond. All Buffy could do was nod her head._

_"Well, do you believe him?"_

_"Should I?"_

_"I can't tell you what to believe. But I can tell you that I feel... things... for you. Things I haven't felt in a long time. I don't believe fear should stop a person from doing what they want to do."_

_"And what makes you think I'm afraid of something?"_

_"Because if you weren't, you wouldn't let a few words from Spike stop you from doing what you want to do."_

_"And what is it that you think I want to do?"_

_"Fall for me."_

_"Who's to say I let Spike stop me from falling for you?"_

_Faith raised an eyebrow. "Did it bother you?"_

_Buffy sighed loudly. "Did what bother me?"_

_"What Spike said. About your safe life."_

_"No." Buffy said quickly. "Maybe."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because I used to be fun and creative and-."_

_"Dangerous?" Faith finished for her._

_"Yeah. And now, I'm going to be someone's wife and probably someone's mother soon after that." Buffy sat, thinking for a little while before Faith signaled for their waitress. There was nothing more that Faith had to say. She'd planted a seed inside of Buffy's head. And she knew it._

_Faith had paid the bill and the two made their way casually out the front door. The brunette was a force of nature, drawing Buffy in even when she was trying to pull away. _

_"So?" Buffy said, cautiously. How was it that even though Faith had proposed the unthinkable, Buffy was walking on eggshells? For the love of God, what was Faith doing to her?_

_"So, what, B? The ball's in your court. I know what I want. Come to think of it, I know what you want too. It's your decision." Faith said. The pair had started walking along the street towards Buffy's car._

_"You know my decision."_

_"Alright." Faith said, shrugging her shoulders. "It's obvious that my wit, charm and beauty will get nowhere with you."_

_"You're unbelievable." Buffy said, rolling her eyes. She stepped closer to her car and pulled Faith in for a hug. Faith planted a kiss on a senstive spot right under Buffy's ear. She heard the smallest gasp come from Buffy before the blonde pulled away._

_"I should go."_

_With that, Buffy got into her car, started the ignition and pulled off. Faith looked down at the ground, toeing a small patch of grass that was growing through the concrete, before walking off into the night._

_It wasn't over._

_End of flashback_

"At least come to Bronze for drinks tonight. Spike's playing a set and I know he'd want you there."

Buffy sighed. Faith knew she had won.

"Fine. But only for Spike. There will be no talk about this alleged affair."

"You're the one that keeps bringing it up."

"Okay. Fine. Drinks. I don't have anything better to do anyway."

"What? No fancy schmancy dinner with Lindsey planned? A carriage ride perhaps?" Faith asked, sarcastically.

"No. He's away on business." Buffy paused. "I don't know why I just told you that."

"Uh, because we're friends. B, you gotta know that I'm not spending my days plotting on how and when I'm going to charm you out of your panties."

"Wh-. I-I know that. Y-you... are impossible. Do you have to be so... blunt?"

"I'm a realist."

"You're an exhibitionist, is what you are." Buffy smirked, toying with the lace ribbon that tied her shirt together. She earned a laugh from Faith.

"Good one. I'll see you tonight at eight." Faith said, before hanging up.

_The Bronze, 8:30pm_

It wasn't Buffy's intention to keep Faith waiting. Well, maybe just a little. Buffy hadn't spent hours trying to find the right outfit or trying on fifteen different dresses. Despite the greeting card holiday, Buffy was just having drinks with a friend while showing support for the other, so jeans and a pink sweater were the obvious choice.

"B, you made it!' Faith said. "Spike goes on in five minutes."

Buffy leaned down to hug the sitting brunette. "I'm glad I made it. It's still raining cats and dogs out there."

"I know. I love it." Faith answered.

Dressed in, dark blue jeans, a white Polo Ralph Lauren v-neck shirt and a long, blood red cardigan sweater, Faith looked casual and totally comfortable. Buffy was glad that she'd gone with the same look. Another twist was that Faith's hair was in a neat ponytail. The only makeup that she appeared to have on was eyeliner, mascara and a light gloss that Buffy could have sworn had a little red tint to it.

"Look at the little birds all dressed up for Valentine's Day." Spike said. He was standing behind Buffy with his hand on the back of her black, velvet chair.

"Spike, hey. Good luck." She said as he leaned down to hug her. She lightly smacked him upside his head.

"Ow."

"And don't call me a bird again." Buffy laughed. She reached over the table and grabbed ahold of Faith's drink and took a sip.

"Water?" Buffy asked, smiling at Faith. Faith grinned back.

"Yes, thank you very much."

"Give it up for _DingoesAteMyBaby!_. Now, show some love for Spike and his acoustic." The announcer on stage said. The audience applauded and Spike walked to the stage and up the steps.

"He's going to do two covers and then an original." Faith informed Buffy.

Spike's fingers gently stroked his acoustic guitar gently, a beautiful melody.

_Gone away, are the golden days,_

_You're just a page in my diary._

_So here I am, a utopian citizen_

_Still convinced there's no such thing as idealism_

_Memories they're following me like a shadow now_

_And I'm dreaming_

_And I've already suffered the fever of disbelief_

Buffy's mouth dropped open. She didn't know Spike could sing as beautifully as he did! He was truly amazing and singing one of her favorite songs. No doubt, Faith had put him up to it. She glanced over at Faith who was tapping furiously at her iPhone's touchscreen, texting.

_I was true as the sky is blue_

_I couldn't soon say the same for you_

_So now, I find denial in my eyes_

_I'm mesmerized by the picture that's in my mind_

_Tell me when I'll finally see your shallow heart_

_For what it is_

_Cause I don't wanna keep on believing in illusions_

Spike sung with feeling and his eyes looked around the club to see who he was touching with his song. Buffy did the same. She could see countless people nodding their heads, swaying side to side or shutting their eyes and just enjoying the sound.

_Sometimes I can't explain_

_And I'm so sorry that I can't_

_I'll try to concentrate_

_On your true identity_

_I've seen your act and I know all the facts_

_I'm still in love with who I wish you were, baby_

_And it ain't hard to see who you are underneath_

_I'm still in love with who I wish you were._

A thunderous applause and countless whistles followed the end of Spike's song. He smiled and nodded at the audience as he entered his next song.

"He's amazing!" Buffy said to Faith.

"Yeah, he's got real talent. None of that auto-tuned bullshit that's on the radio these days."

"I'd like to get his voice on a record and play it on a phonograph."

"He does have a voice for that, doesn't he?" Faith agreed. She smiled at Buffy who had started to get lost in Spike's next cover.

After Spike's set, Buffy and Spike knocked back a couple of shots while Faith stuck with her water. She had told Buffy that she wasn't going to drink anything stronger than a wine cooler. Buffy approved. Then, a wicked DJ started to spin a few fun records. Buffy pulled her two hesitant friends out of their chairs and forced them onto the dance floor with her.

They swayed, jumped, and grinded to the music, enjoying their night. Spike noticed the blonde and brunette never taking their eyes off of each other. Faith had admired the way Buffy's ass moved to the rhythm, never missing a beat. Buffy watched as Faith got lost in the music having as much fun as possible. Spike moved from in between the pair, pushing their bodies together. Nearby was a busty redhead with a skimpy dress on. He moved towards her and she gratefully accepted his nonverbal dance proposition.

Lost in time, alcohol and the music, with her heart beating faster than she ever thought humanly possible, Buffy put her hand on the back of Faith's neck and pulled the brunette to her, roughly. Before she knew what was happening, Buffy pressed her lips against Faith's, who, though in shock, quickly turned the kiss into a passionate one. Their tongues embracing, each fighting for control, before Buffy pulled away and ran off of the dance floor.

She headed for their table, grabbing her jacket and keys. Faith stood, dazed, on the dance floor for a few moments before she realized what had just taken place. She turned to find Spike who nodded his head towards the door, urging her on. Faith ran out of the Bronze, finding Buffy walking briskly to the car. In her rush she'd forgotten to get her umbrella from the check-in at the front door.

Rain poured down and thunder roared as a drenched Faith ran to catch up with a soaked Buffy. Before Buffy's hand reached for the handle of her Range Rover, Faith pulled Buffy's arm, yanking her back. She wrapped her arm tightly around Buffy's waist so the blonde couldn't move and kissed her again, this time rough and unyielding.

"Mmn!" Buffy pushed Faith away and climbed into her car. She drove off before Faith could do anything more.

_**Up Next: 'Twas The Night Before Her Wedding!**_


	12. Hands Tied

_**A/N: The song that plays in this chapter is called "Hands Tied" by Toni Braxton. I recommend YouTube-ing the song while reading for a greater feel. (: This love scene is sort of a 'fade-to-black'. Not my favorite but it had to be written quickly to set up for Part II. If I feel up to it, I'll go back and edit it later. (: Enjoy.**_

_**Chapter 12: Hands Tied**_

For the next two months, Buffy and Faith's friendship was at a stand-still. Faith didn't know where she fit into Buffy's life and she didn't want to push it. Against Buffy's character and better judgment, she could not stay away. A stolen moment here, a kiss there; it was impossible to stop now. Buffy couldn't risk anything more happening. She was still going to marry Lindsey; there was just a voice in her head, telling her that she could have the best of both worlds.

_Friday, April 12, 11:57pm_

The antics that Cordelia had concocted for Buffy's bachelorette party had gone according to plan. Between six p.m. and eleven-thirty, Buffy, Willow, Tara, Cordelia, Fred and Dawn embarked on a bachelorette scavenger hunt, traveling around the city, fulfilling the list of wacky things. Each girl had a list of outrageous fifty tasks, all different from the other's, that they had to accomplish before the night was over.

From number one: take over karaoke night at the Bronze and sing a slutty song publicly (Buffy opted for "Touch Myself" by The Divinyls) to number fifty: have five guys write their philosophy of marriage on a napkin, the night was full of laughter. Cordelia and Fred made sure to videotape every insane public stunt and Buffy opening her gifts, for future memories. It had been a long time since Buffy had let loose and acted completely silly.

After Dawn had insisted that Buffy get an uninterrupted, full night's sleep, the group of women reluctantly let the bride out of the limo to go to sleep. With Lindsey at Gunn's house for the night, Buffy put all of her bachelorette merchandise into the small chest in her walk-in closet before undressing for a shower.

Thirty minutes later, Buffy emerged from the shower, wrapping herself in a black satin robe. She sat down on her bed, flicking on the TV. A good _Lifetime _movie was exactly what she needed to fall asleep. A loud thump sounded above her. Then another. The fifth time was the charm. Buffy got off of her bed in a huff and headed upstairs to apartment 4C.

Slow, rhythmic music played loudly. Buffy knocked as loud as she could without disturbing any other tenants. Finally, Buffy tried the doorknob. It twisted fully and Buffy pushed gently to open it a crack. She stepped over the threshold and closed the door, locking it, before walking into a small, darkened hallway, the music even louder. A light was on, no doubt leading to the living room. As Buffy walked deeper into Faith's apartment, she noticed that there dozens of white candles, burning all over the apartment.

The walls had been painted a dark red with a prominent white trim. Paintings from various artists graced the walls, a theme of sunsets and beautiful park scenery reocurring. Buffy walked into the spacious living room. There were cloth tarps on the floor, spattered with dried paint. A surprisingly paint-free sofa and love seat set filled a corner of the large room. Against another wall was a canvas that filled the entire wall, floor to ceiling. And then there was Faith. Assaulting the canvas by throwing small cans of paint against it, splattering it with a dozen different colors. Potentially, it was a masterpiece in the making.

Buffy watched her for a few moments, seeing Faith in a new light. She never thought she'd live to see the day that she got a sneak peek of anything that her brunette counterpart was working on.

Walking to her, Buffy put her hand on Faith's forearm. Competely taken off-guard, Faith turned around swiftly, her hand grabbing Buffy's neck forcefully. Those self-defense classes had payed off, not to mention it was good to know that her catlike reflexes were still intact. She was breathing furiously. A few chunks of dark hair were in her face, being blown to and fro from her heavy breaths. With her hand still around Buffy's neck, Faith used her free hand to push her own hair out of her face.

Slowly, almost cautiously, Buffy removed Faith's hand from around her neck. Her eyes were telling Faith that it was okay. It was just her. As the music stopped, there was a brief pause between the two. Unspoken words reverberating loudly before the a new song started to play on the state-of-the-art stereo system:

_You're askin' me if I_

_Know what real love feels like_

_If I ever let anyone inside_

_You can't be serious, serious_

_'Cause I was the one givin' all I had_

_Kept my promises all intact_

_Better or worse, I honored that_

_I could show you all about love_

Buffy untied the satin sash of her robe. It fell open, exposing not everything, but just enough. She let it slip from her shoulders onto the floor. She stood before Faith as naked as the day she was born.

_Baby, I could love you, love you, love you_

_With my hands tied_

_I could please you, please you, please you_

_With my hands tied_

_Everything you need is right here_

_It's just staring you in your face_

_Stop askin' me if I'm ready_

_'Cause this is just what I'll say_

With desire twinkling in her eyes, Buffy seductively stated, "Paint me."

With that, Faith reached down, picking up a small tin can of paint. She dipped her hand in it and then smeared the purple substance across Buffy's breasts. The coolness caused Buffy's nipples to perk immediately. Finally reaching over, she pulled Faith's shirt up, and unclasped her bra. Faith unbottoned her own cargo pants and pushed them down, kicking them to the side.

_Don't ever question my love_

_I love hard despite the_

_Heartbreaks I made light of_

_You say, I've been the wrong, been the wrong one_

_I was the one tryin' to patch it up_

_Now I watch them say I had enough_

_All I just keep thinkin' of_

_Is I could show you all about love_

Buffy didn't know when the two had reached the tarp but she enjoyed the warm feel of Faith's body atop of her. She could feel wet paint, fresh from Faith's war with the canvas, coating her back. Faith's two gold chains dangled closely to Buffy's lips, surpassing them when Faith leaned down to kiss her. It was passionate and erotic, yet sweet and endearing.

_Baby I could love you, love you, love you_

_With my hands tied_

_I could please you, please you, please you_

_With my hands tied_

_Everything you need is right here_

_It's just staring you in your face_

_Stop askin' me if I'm ready _

_'Cause this is just what I'll say_

_'Cause I could love you, love you, love you_

_With my hands tied, with my hands tied_

_With my hands tied_

Faith kissed and licked her way down Buffy's body, her thick, dark hair following suit. Buffy's skin smelled like freshly picked lavender and chamomile. When she reached her destination, Faith gently spread Buffy's legs apart and massaged the blonde's love with the heel of her hand. Though she was enjoying the sensation, Buffy couldn't help but clench up, nearly shutting her legs completely. Faith kissed her knees as she used her free hand to push them apart once again and leaned down to give an introductory lick up the center of Buffy's pussy, reveling in her sweet taste. Faith flicked her tongue over Buffy's clit, before taking the small bundle of nerves between her lips and sucking. Buffy squirmed, trying to get away from the overwhelming sensation.

"Ssss! Oh god!" Buffy moaned. One of her hands found their way to Faith's head and twisted itself in her dark tresses, pushing Faith's head deeper. Faith wrapped her arms under Buffy's thighs, holding her firmly while she lapped up Buffy's juices, earning her more cream in the process. Sucking and gently biting on her lover's clit, Faith slipped a finger into her opening.

"Unh!"

Then another.

"Ffffuck! Please... don't... stop!"

_Now I don't need my hands_

_To feel the things I feel inside_

_'Cause I know what's inside_

_My heart is right_

_They don't have to hold you like that_

_They don't have to touch you like that_

_'Cause you know the truth is that_

_I could love you with one hand tied behind my back_

Faith tasted Buffy. Licked Buffy. Slid her tongue in, out and all over Buffy, all the while pumping her fingers in and out. Never missing a beat. Until the only thing Buffy could do was squeeze her pussy muscles around Faith's fingers and be overcome by the waves and waves of pleasure.

"Unnhhh! Huuuh! Oh god!" Buffy's body shook as she rode her orgasm to its conclusion.

"Call me Faith." Faith told her, grinning cockily.

_Baby I could love you, love you, love you_

_With my hands tied_

_I could please you, please you, please you_

_With my hands tied_

_Everything you need is right here_

_It's just staring you in your face_

_Stop askin' me if I'm ready _

_'Cause this is just what I'll say_

_'Cause I could love you, love you, love you_

_With my hands tied, with my hands tied_

_With my hands tied_

The two had rolled around the floor, becoming smeared and coated in various colored paints as they fought for dominance. It was clear that Faith like to be in control, but so did Buffy. And as another song began, Buffy was pulling off Faith's underwear as she kissed down the brunette's body.

Tonight was something different for Buffy. Tonight, she would let herself drown.

_5:00am, 4C_

Buffy stretched, her body loving how the tension that slowly left her body. She moaned lightly at the sensation before kissing the smooth, tan shoulder that lie on the floor next to her. She put her face into the dark tresses that fanned out and breathed in. Buffy didn't want to leave Faith lying there but she had to shower and get ready for her wedding day.

She stood up, wrapped the black, satin robe back around her. Tiptoeing to Faith's sketch desk, she grabbed a pencil and a sheet of paper, scribbling a small, sweet note. Before she left, Buffy placed the paper next to Faith's painted silhouette.

_**Up Next: The honeymoon phase.**_


	13. Part 2 - The Honeymooners

_**A/N: Congrats, loyal readers (and reviewers)! You all have made it through part one of 'The Artist In 4C'. Welcome to Part II. Where things get nittier, grittier and downright shameless. Let's just say the phrase 'twists & turns' is an understatement. (: Enjoy!**_

_Part II_

_**Chapter 13: The Honeymooners**_

_Sunday, 1 week later, Dominica_

"Buffy, just relax. You're overexerting yourself and the sun isn't helping." Lindsey explained.

Somewhere between morning mimosas and lunch margaritas, Buffy started to feel light-headed and her body started to shake if she moved too much. It was clear that heat exhaustion had overcome her petite body and all she wanted to do was lie down before they went sunset jet-skiing later. Lindsey handed her a Tylenol and a glass of water, which she gratefully accepted.

"I'm going to head back down to the pool and lounge around for a little bit longer. Give you a chance to get some rest."

"Thanks." Buffy smiled. He kissed her forehead and left their suite.

Buffy quickly showered, washed her hair and threw on a fluffy white hotel robe. While she flicked through the hotel's TV stations, Buffy powered her phone up to check for business calls. Her phone started vibrating nonstop, attempting to receive every missed call, voicemail and text message.

Text from 'Jas'. Three texts from 'D. Summers'. Text from 'Spike'. Three texts from 'Wills'. Seven missed calls from a variety of her friends, no doubt asking if they arrived safely onto the island.

The only one that stood out the most was "1 missed call - 'Faith'". A small smile passed over Buffy's features. She pressed a few buttons and allowed her phone to dial Faith's number.

"Hey." Faith answered. It seemed that a week's worth of emotions and thoughts were breathed out into that one syllable.

"Hi." Buffy replied in the same manner.

Faith could practically hear the smile on Buffy's face. "So, how's the honeymoon?"

"It's, uh, good. How's LA?"

"Same old. Same old."

Buffy nodded as if Faith could see her. The conversation wasn't awkward or daunting. It was one of relief. For one, Buffy was totally relieved to hear her lover's voice. And Faith was satisfied that Buffy didn't seem to have back-pedaled since they last spoke.

The last time the pair were together was in Buffy's dressing room in the country club where the wedding was taking place. She had been nervous and needed Faith's opinion. It wasn't long, however, before Buffy had hiked up her wedding dress and Faith had fingered her from behind. Afterwards, Faith cleaned her up and sent her off to get married.

Now, here they were, a week later. Knowing that they were morally wrong but physically and emotionally, everything felt so right.

"When are you coming home? You've been there since Wednesday." Faith asked. That was Faith's more appropriate version of '_I need you here. You're too far away from me!_'.

"We'll be back late tomorrow evening." Buffy told her.

"Well, then, I'll see you Tuesday for lunch."

Buffy smiled. "Okay. I'll see you Tuesday."

"Later, B."

Buffy hung up her phone, turned it off and returned it to its small compartment inside of her luggage. Yes, she was on her honeymoon. And sure, Buffy had the choice of not saying 'I do'. But she did, and she didn't regret it. Still, all Buffy wanted to do was get home and see Faith.

_Tuesday, Galleria de Veranos, 9:30am_

"Hey, Jas. Are there any messages for me?"

"Uh, yeah. Two buyers and one from Faith."

"What'd Faith say?"

"She said she tried you on your cell, but couldn't get through. Also, she wanted to know if you two were still on for lunch."

"Okay, great."

"So, how was the honeymoon?"

"Oh, Jas. It was amazing! So peaceful and fun."

"I'm jealous."

"Well, you do have some paid time off saved up. Take it and go on a cruise or to an exotic island. You deserve it." Buffy smiled at her friend.

"You know, I think I will." Jasmine smiled back. She headed to the back to make coffee, leaving Buffy alone.

Buffy took the quiet morning as an opportunity to get some business affairs in order. She called clients back, booked contract signings with the two buyers, cleaned out a drawer or two for filing and managed to book a reservation for a dinner with Lindsey. Finally, she picked up her cell and called Faith.

"I was wondering when I'd hear from you." Faith answered.

"Well, wonder no longer."

"You're in a good mood this morning."

"Because I'm going to see you this afternoon."

"Ah, you must say that to all the girls." Faith said. She was scribbling on a blank piece of paper.

"Of course. So, listen," Buffy started, looking at her watch, "it's twelve-fifteen now. How about you order takeout around one and I'll meet you there."

"Sounds good. Don't bring anything but your smile."

"You're a pig." Buffy said, rolling her eyes.

Faith laughed, heartily. "Oh, if I had a dollar-."

"You'd be a millionare, I'm sure."

"I am."

"Is that supposed to make me fawn over you?"

"No, but I _do _hear it soaks the panties."

"Do you get off on making me speechless?"

"Sometimes."

"I'm hanging up now."

"Fine. I'll see you soon, anyway." Faith said.

Buffy took the next forty-five minutes to find a good art class that she could start attending. It had been a long time since she'd painted, sculpted or sketched anything that she deemed gallery-worthy.

"Buffy, you told me to tell you when it was one." Jasmine said, standing at the doorway.

"Oh, crap. Thanks, Jas. I should be gone for no longer than an hour." Buffy said. She stood up and started gathering her things.

"Okay. I'll see you then."

* * *

Faith had ordered Indian, which was perfect because Buffy had been craving something spicy. The two spent the next half-hour picking over the food and talking. Buffy told Faith about her cheerleading days, her mom, and her little sister. Faith told Buffy about growing up In South Boston and then moving to Albany, New York.

After they'd ate, Faith started to gather their trash, placing it back into the carry-out bags. Buffy stacked their plates and silverware and took them to the kitchen.

"How much time do you have?" Faith asked. She was leaned against the entrance to the kitchen, her arms and ankles crossed. Still at the sink, Buffy grinned but didn't turn around.

"Not much. I have to get back to the office."

Faith walked up behind her, putting her hands on either side of the sink, blocking Buffy in. She pushed blonde hair off of Buffy's small shoulder and planted a kiss there.

"Five more minutes."

"Only five? I'm better off with Lindsey then. At least I can get six out of him."

"Are you trying to piss me off?" Faith inquired. She reached down, her hand stopping mid-thigh. As she worked her way back up, Faith pulled Buffy's gray pencil skirt up as well.

"Clearly it's not working." Buffy swallowed hard.

Faith's voice was barely above a whisper. "Try harder."

* * *

_Summers-McDonald Residence, 8:00pm_

After work, Buffy arrived at home to find herself alone. Lindsey mentioned that he'd be home early because he wanted to spend some time with his new wife. She tried his cell. No answer. Buffy dialed Lindsey's office number at Wolfram and Hart.

"Lindsey McDonald."

"Hey, where are you? I thought you'd be home earlier."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, babe. We've got a case that's really kicking our asses."

"Aw. But I made dinner reservations for us at Nobu." Buffy told him.

"I'm sorry. Maybe you could ask Faith. You two haven't seen each other since the wedding." Lindsey urged.

Buffy smiled. "No, I think I'll just use this time to soak in the tub and relax."

"See? There's always a silver lining."

"Yeah." Buffy said before she hung up the phone.

Buffy shot Faith a text. '_Nobu, 9pm. You free?_'

It wasn't but a few heartbeats before Faith text back, '_Sure. I'll be down in a few._'

Buffy showered, dressed and redid her makeup, as did Faith. By eighty-thirty, Faith was knocking on the door of 3B. Buffy answered it, trying to put her other earring in.

"Am I early?"

"You're always right on time."

"Did you just use a line on me?"

Buffy giggled. She slipped into her pumps and grabbed her phone off of the coffee table. "No. I'm not the smooth operator in the room."

Faith made a show of blowing on her nails and then wiping them on her shirt.

"Cute. Real cute."

_Nobu, 9:15pm_

Faith and Buffy were seated at a table and ordered immediately. The restaurant was more crowded than usual, something that Faith despised. The clattering of silverware and hushed chatter, was enough to drive her insane. Despite that, Faith leaned back and calmed herself by looking across the table at the gorgeous blonde.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"That painting in the gallery. The one that you did. What exactly was happening when you were creating that piece?"

"Oh, gosh. Uh, what wasn't I going through. My mom had just died and I was taking care of my sister. Of course I had Willow and Xander and everyone but I still felt completely alone. Not to mention I was struggling with the decision to break up with my ex-boyfriend, Riley."

"Why was it a struggle?"

"Um, I think because I was forcing myself to be 'in love' with him. Morally, I know that being in love with someone shouldn't be work, but starting all over from scratch with someone new seemed like much more work. I didn't want to break his heart but, we were just different people."

Faith nodded, listening intently. "How long did it take you to finish the piece?"

"Oh, about six months believe it or not. I finished it just in time for it to be considered my final exam. That piece got me my degree." Buffy smiled, remembering.

"That's awesome."

A few tables away, a man laughed loudly at his dinner companion, a lovely dark-haired woman. Buffy's eyebrows furrowed and she looked towards the sound.

"Oh wow. Is that-?" Faith started.

"Lindsey." Buffy finished. She stood up. Faith pulled her back into her seat.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh, to ask who the skank is." Buffy said, matter-of-factly.

"In case you haven't noticed, you're sitting in the same restaurant as your lover as well." Faith reminded her. "Besides, what if she's just a co-worker. You can't just make a fool of yourself."

"Well, then, I'll be polite."

"Fine. But don't kiss him. I'm a jealous soul."

"Ha!" Buffy said, sarcastically. She stood up again and walked over to the table.

"Lindsey?" She said, sweetly. He looked up. Buffy could have sworn his eyes widened a little. "I thought that was you."

"Buffy. Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I decided not to take that soak in the tub after all. Faith and I are here grabbing a late dinner. And you?"

"Oh, we're just going over some details for the case. We start trial tomorrow." Lindsey cleared his throat. "Buffy, I'd like you to meet Lilah Morgan. She's my second chair. Lilah, this is my lovely wife, Buffy Summers."

"Pleasure to meet you." Lilah purred. Buffy finally looked at the thin woman, who was holding her hand out.

"Pleasure's all mine." She shook Lilah's hand. "Well, I'll let you two get back to it. Try the chicken patte. It's to die for."

She kissed her husband on the cheek and headed back to her table.

"You wanna go?" Faith asked.

"No. You were right. Her name's Lilah Morgan and she's just a colleague." Buffy said.

Faith nodded her head but refrained from saying anything. Truth was, she didn't believe that Lilah Morgan was simply working on a case with Lindsey. Something fishy was going on.

_Didn't Buffy watch Lifetime movies? Honestly!_

_**Up Next: Bowling night. Girls vs. Guys.**_


	14. Guard Rails

_**Chapter 14: Guard Rails**_

_Friday, Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge, 7:00pm_

One mass text message was all it took. Once Buffy hit 'send', old friends with new pumped up egos text her back; bowling night was definitely a-go. Work was left behind because the fun that lie ahead of them was something they all needed. Buffy, Willow and Faith were up against Lindsey, Xander and Spike. When it came to competitive team sports, friendships were on the line and more importantly, so were the bragging rights.

"You're up, Red." Faith said.

Nervously, Willow got up and grab the small, tye-dye ball. She took a few steps, gave a perfect form and threw the ball down the lane. A few moments later, the three women were jumping up and down! Another perfect strike.

"Well, that's game. Pay up, Spike." Faith said, putting her hand out.

"Wait, you two had a bet going?" Xander asked. "That's unconstitutional is what it is. We got our rights!"

"Protest all you want, Xander, Spike is still gonna owe me two hundred bucks."

Xander shrugged, slurping the last of his fountain drink.

"So, I guess that means the bragging rights are ours." Buffy added.

"Not so fast. How about best four out of five?" Lindsey countered.

"Oh, come on. Why can't you guys just give it up? It's getting sad." Faith laughed.

"Seriously, I just want to play some shooter games." Xander interjected.

"Yeah, don't they have a 'Whack-A-Mole' here? I want to hit something."

"Whoa there, Tyson, take it easy. It is a known fact that I am king of 'Whack-A-Mole'." Lindsey told her. He put his arm around Faith's shoulder. Buffy's heart started beating a mile a minute. There was _no way _that her husband and her lesbian lover were gonna be buddies.

"Are you guys hearing the challenge in his voice?" Faith laughed. "Care to place a little wager on that?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Fifty bucks says I kick your ass in this game."

"Done. The next time you guys see me, I'll be fifty bucks richer." Faith and Lindsey bumped fists together and before running off to find the game.

"This is so not happening." Buffy said to herself.

Ten minutes later, Faith and Lindsey were still playing their game and Buffy was pacing back and forth behind Xander at a first-person shooter game. While Xander killed 2D zombies, Buffy clicked furiously away at her phone before walking off.

* * *

In the bathroom, Buffy stood at the sink, looking into the mirror. She was trying to decide if she could blame anyone else for this stupid bowling night when Faith walked in.

"You _so _better make this worth my while. I just lost fifty bucks to your idiotic husband because of your text."

"Don't call him names." Buffy said, spinning around.

Faith raised her eyebrows, smirking, and leaned back against the door. "Touchy, touchy."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I don't know. You wanted me in here. You're calling the shots."

"That's so not the case. This is all a little game to you, isn't it?"

"B, chill. You're freaking out on me here and I kinda need to know why."

"You! And... _Lindsey_. Playing arcade games."

"Ohhh, I see. And you think the only thing we'll have to bond over is who's giving it to you better."

"Oh, that's very funny. Hilarious, Faith." Buffy attempted to move past the brunette. Faith grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

"I'm sorry. It was a bad joke." Faith ran her fingers down Buffy's neck, immediately calming her. "I promise I won't say anything incriminating. Scout's honor?"

Buffy sighed and looked down, her hands fidgeting with Faith's gold necklaces. "You weren't a Girl Scout."

"Fine. How about 'cross my heart and hope to die'?" Faith asked, marking an 'X' across her chest, her fingers brushing against Buffy's.

"I just don't want to hurt him." Buffy explained, softly.

Faith could have taken the opportunity to let Buffy know that she felt like Lindsey was hiding something from her. Instead, Faith hugged her and promised that she wouldn't say anything that would hurt Lindsey or make him question their friendship.

"Now, about making this worth my while." Faith joked.

"Not on your life." Buffy said. She giggled into a kiss that Faith was placing on her lips before Faith pushed her into a stall. She unzipped Buffy's jeans and slipped her hand inside.

_Nocturnal Bar & Grille, 9:00pm_

Once bowling had finally taken its toll on the six friends, drinks were the next order of business. At _Nocturnal_, the found a large booth, ordered, and waited to be served. Faith had a knack for making everyone laugh, nonstop. No doubt she was voted 'Class Clown' in high school. Buffy realized that when she relaxed, everything went great. Sure, she was out with her husband _and _her lover, but there were worst scenarios...

_Weren't there?_

"I ordered my curly fries thirty minutes ago. I'm dying of hunger." Xander whine dramatically.

"I know. I was really looking forward to mooching off of Buffy's cheese fries." Willow added.

"Me too." Lindsey agreed with Willow.

"Why does everybody want what Buffy has?" Buffy questioned, referring to herself in third person.

Despite the urge to throw in a double entendre, Faith composed herself by pulling ice out of her glass of lemon water and crunching on it.

"That's because you always have the best stuff, baby." Lindsey said, playfully. He squeezed his wife around the waist and kissed her lips, lovingly.

Faith rolled her eyes. Spike chuckled. Faith pretended that she could handle being the 'other woman' but Spike saw right through her. She got just as jealous as the next girl would, though, he had to admit it: Faith could definitely keep her shit together when it mattered most.

"Okay, guys, next month is the spring gala at the gallery. I expect you all to be there. I'm going to be working really hard on this one. Okay?" Buffy told her friends.

"Absolutely." Spike said.

"Yeah, Buffster. We'll be there." Xander added.

"Of course, Buffy." Willow smiled.

"You know I'll be there, baby." Lindsey threw in.

Faith simply looked around for their waitress. Spike kicked her shin underneath of the table. She jumped and rubbed her shin with the back of her calf.

"Uh, yeah, B. If you need any help, let me know." Faith offered, hesitantly.

"Aww. You guys are the best." Buffy remarked. _What the hell was Faith's problem?_ Buffy didn't know but she sure as hell was going to find out.

After three more hours of eating, drinking and bullshitting around, Buffy, her husband and their friends left _Nocturnal_. Buffy wanted to talk to Faith but the brunette wasn't making it easy.

"B, we're outta here. We'll see you around." Faith said. Buffy gave Faith a forced smile and a friendly hug. Faith went to shake Lindsey's hand only to be pulled into an embrace by him.

"We hug family around here." Lindsey laughed, squeezing Faith tightly. The uncomfortable smile that donned Faith's face almost matched the pat she placed on Lindsey's back. When he released her, she smiled, turned on her heels and headed off with Spike.

"Well, I had fun tonight. How about you?" Lindsey questioned as the newlyweds walked to the car.

"I did too. We have to hang out with our friends more often."

"Yes we do."

Back at home, Lindsey headed straight for the shower. Buffy plopped down on the couch and tried calling Faith's cell phone. When there was no answer, Buffy sent Faith a short text.

'_What was up 2nite? Call me back?_'

Two hours passed without a response from Faith.

Then another.

Finally, Buffy decided to call it a night.

_**Up Next: Spring Gala planning goes badly for Buffy. **_


	15. Intruder Alert

_**A/N: I know it's strange seeing Buffy 'vulnerable' but I must say, I enjoyed writing this chapter. Enjoy! (:**_

_**Chapter 15: Intruder Alert**_

_May, Friday, Galleria de Veranos, 8:56pm_

"What's up, B?" Faith answered her phone.

"Nothing. I'm at the gallery by myself."

"More stuff for the spring gala?"

"Yeah. I was supposed to be waiting for the last piece but I don't think the movers are coming tonight. They were supposed to be here at eight." Buffy said.

"Damn. Looks like you've been stood up."

"Looks like it. If I would have known they weren't coming, I would've left two hours ago. I've owned this gallery for a long time and yet I still get the creeps when I'm here alone so late."

"Do you want some company?"

"Nah. Lindsey says he'll be here at nine-fifteen." Buffy said. As if on cue, her phone beeped, signaling Buffy of an incoming text message. "Hang on."

"Sure."

Faith listened to Buffy click a few buttons on her phone and a muffled, "Oh, give a goddamn break.'

"Hello?"

"Yeah, I'm still here." Faith answered.

"Well, it seems, Lindsey has closing arguments tomorrow so he has to stay at work late." Buffy huffed.

"So, is that a 'yes' to wanting some company?" Faith asked. She was flipping through a new IKEA catalogue, bored.

"Definitely."

"Uh, okay." Faith looked down at her girl-cut boxer briefs and V-neck shirt. "I'll be there in twenty."

"Sounds good." Buffy said and disconnected the call.

As she awaited Faith's arrival, Buffy checked the locks on the doors, and shut down all of the computers and televisions in the building. She made sure every electrical appliance in the kitchen was cleaned out and unplugged. By nine-twenty p.m., Buffy had returned to her office, shrugged on her blazer and grabbed her keys and bags. Just before Buffy could hit the lights behind Jasmine's work station, a loud crash sounded in the entrance to the gallery. Glass shattered to the floor before the sound of canvasses being slashed; the fabric tearing like a shirt. Unintentionally, she gasped. The silhouette's head shot up and looked in her direction.

Buffy barely had time to comprehend what was happening before a man dressed in black headed towards her. She ran back into her office and attempted to slam the door. The intruder shoved his entire weight against the door, pushing Buffy backwards to her desk; the door hitting her nose. It wasn't long before she felt thick fluid rushing down her nose, splattering onto her blouse. The pain was excruciating but the only thing Buffy focused on was getting out of this attack alive.

The perp grabbed Buffy's hair and pushed her downwards onto the floor. When his foot connected with her ribs, she screamed in pain. She felt a rib crack when his foot connected again. He leaned down as she tried to crawl away and began his assault on her face. He punched her a total of six times in the face before Buffy blacked out. Finally, he stood back up and continued to kick her.

"Hey! Get off of her!" Faith yelled, running towards the office.

She had every intention of putting those self-defense classes to the test before he turned around, quickly and pointed a gun in her face. Faith slowed to a stop in the doorway of the office. Her leg twisted upwards in an arc motion, knocking the gun out of the intruder's hand. He reached out and grabbed Faith by the neck and pushed her against the foundation, squeezing tightly. She reached out and scratched at his face through the eye and nose openings in his ski mask. He back-handed Faith across the face and she hit the floor, giving him just enough time to get away.

Faith immediately took action, pulling her cell phone out and dialing 9-1-1. At the same time, she ran to Buffy, lightly tapping her face.

"Come on, baby, wake up. Wake up, baby." Faith demanded. "Yeah, I just witnessed an assault. I need an ambulance. My friend is passed out. It's an art gallery. Sixty-five-fourteen Wilshire Boulevard. Please hurry."

Faith threw her cell to the floor and carefully pulled Buffy's head onto her lap. With her hands shaking with adrenaline and a bit of fear that the intruder might return, she gently caressed Buffy's cheek with the back of her hand.

The seven minutes that passed before the police and ambulance arrived seemed like an eternity to Faith who still hadn't gotten Buffy to wake. She knew, however, that Buffy still had a strong pulse. While the EMTs were placing Buffy onto a stretcher, Faith talked to one of the police officers. When she mentioned that she'd scratched the man, Faith was told by another officer that she'd have to place a plastic evidence bag over Faith's hand until they got to the hospital.

Faith grabbed her phone and Buffy's phone, keys, handbag and laptop bag before headed to the police car that would take her to the hospital. She wanted to ride with Buffy but she didn't want her emotions to interfere with the paramedics doing their job. Faith took ahold of Buffy's phone, calling Lindsey and Willow, telling the two where to meet them.

_Good Samaritan Hospital, 10:17pm_

"Faith! I got here as soon as I could. God, look at your neck. And your cheek."

Faith consciously placed her empty hand against her bruised throat.

"Are you okay?"What happened?"

As an ER nurse scraped under Faith's fingernails for the attacker's DNA, Faith sighed before repeating the story for what felt like the tenth time.

"Where's Buffy? Is she alright?"

"Doc says she's pretty banged up but she's stable."

"You're all done, Miss Lehane." The nurse said. She sealed the clear plastic bag marked "EVIDENCE" in red, block letters. Faith nodded and watched as the nurse handed it over to a detective.

"Miss Lehane?"

Faith turned around to face a doctor.

"Your friend is awake. You may see her now."

"Thanks." Faith said.

Faith showed Lindsey to Buffy's hospital room. Before she opened the door, she put her hand on Lindsey's chest.

"Look, Lindsey, she was beaten pretty bad. He broke two ribs and cracked another. And her face... i-it's... not a pretty sight."

Lindsey took a deep breath and nodded. Faith pushed open the door and the two walked in and towards Buffy's bed.

"Hey." Buffy said. Her usually sweet, nasal-y voice was gruff and lazy, no doubt from the morphine.

"Hey, B." Faith's voice was soft and loving. She smiled and leaned her head sideways, her dark hair cascading over her left shoulder. "Look, who I found outside."

Faith looked across Buffy's bed at Lindsey. Buffy painfully turned her face to look at Lindsey.

"Hi, honey." She said.

Tears formed in Lindsey's eyes as he looked at his wife. The area around her left eye was blue and purple, her reddened cheek was home to a fresh, small cut. Her lips were swollen and cracked. Buffy's bottom lip was split right down the middle. Her ribs had been bandaged tightly with a white wrapping.

"Oh, sweetheart. How are you feeling?" He reached for her hand and held it in his.

"I'm okay."

Faith inhaled. "I'm gonna wait outside. Give you two some privacy."

Buffy turned her head too quickly and winced. "Faith."

Faith paused, turning to look back at Buffy.

"Thank you. You saved my life."

"No I didn't, B. I was just there."

"Don't go too far."

"I'll be right outside." Faith mentioned before heading out of the room.

_10:49pm_

Faith had gotten a styrofoam cup of steaming, horrible hospital coffee. She was pacing back and forth outside of Buffy's room. When she glanced through the glass window of the room, she could see Lindsey gesturing to himself, talking. It looked as though he was defending himself. It was evident that he wasn't talking _to _Buffy, he was talking _at _her.

He sighed and nodded his head. Lindsey leaned down, kissed Buffy's forehead and headed out. Faith looked away quickly, pretending to study her coffee.

"She wants to talk to you." Lindsey said. Faith nodded her approval at the request.

"Can I ask you a question?" Faith inquired.

"Sure."

"Don't take this the wrong way. Or do. I don't really care, but... where were you?"

"My, uh, meeting ran late."

"Hm." Was all Faith said, before leaving him, standing there alone.

As the door was closing, Lindsey heard Faith's voice softly saying, "How ya feelin', gorgeous?"

_**Up Next: Buffy's recovery and the DNA is processed.**_


	16. Confrontation Is Key

_**A/N: Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 16: Confrontation Is Key**_

_Sunday, 6:00pm_

Faith had been sketching, with her headphones blasting when she was interrupted by Spike. He pulled the small buds of plastic and metal from her ears and gestured to the two others who had joined them in the room.

"Detective Hayes." Faith said, acknowledging the man who took her statement two nights ago.

"Miss Lehane-."

"Faith, please."

"Alright, Faith. This is my partner, Detective Chelsea Holt. We ran the DNA from the sample under your fingernails. Turns out the man that attacked you and your friend, Miss Buffy Summers, is in the system." Hayes started.

"We have a picture of him that we'd like you to take a look at. Maybe you'll recognize him." Holt finished.

"Sure. Can I offer you something to drink?" Faith asked.

"No, thank you." Holt replied.

"No. Thanks." Hayes responded.

Spike made himself scarce and Faith took her guests into the den. The two detectives sat side-by-side on the couch and Faith curled up, opposite them, on her recliner. Detective Hayes opened an official police folder and removed a glossy paper before handing it over to Faith.

Faith studied the mug shot picture, carefully.

"His name is Langdon Sarkisian. He works for a very well-known drug dealer."

"Sarkisian. Armenian mob?" Faith questioned.

The detectives exchanged looks, unsure as to how much information they should give to Faith.

"I read the newspaper." Faith explained. "The Armenian mob has been in the news for the past couple of months. The feds finally got enough evidence to keep the 'godfather', Armen Kazarian, detained until trial. Right?"

"That's right. May we ask what your connection to Lindsey McDonald is?" Holt inquired.

"Uh, he's the husband to one of my closest friends." Faith answerd, honestly. "Wait, you don't think he had something to do with this, do you?"

"No, ma'am. He was the head prosecuter in the case against Kazarian." Hayes told her.

"We think the attack on Miss Summers was because of her husband's involvment in the trial."

Faith let out a breath and nodded. "Uh, have you spoken to Lindsey or Buffy?"

"Not yet. We have plans to meet Mr. McDonald today."

Faith nodded.

"Well, thank you for your time, Miss Lehane." The two detectives stood up. Faith followed suit.

"Not a problem. If there's anything I can do, please let me know."

"Well, you might think about finding some place safe for Miss Summers." Hayes suggested, neutrally. The three walked to Faith's front hall.

Faith showed her guests out, locking the door behind them.

"Spike!" Faith yelled. He walked in from her kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal.

"Oy, no need to yell. I can hear perfectly well, thank yo-."

"Buffy was attacked because of Lindsey." Faith interjected.

Spike's eyes widened. "What?"

He listened as Faith explained what she and the detectives had talked about. When she was finished, Spike sat there, stunned.

"So, are you gonna tell Buffy, then?"

"As much as I want to, I think that's Lindsey's job." Faith pushed both hands through her hair. "God, I wanna kill him."

"The bloke that attacked Buffy?"

"No." Faith said, pulling on the hoodie from her coatrack. "Lindsey."

* * *

_Good Samaritan Hospital, 6:44pm_

"Faith, I'm glad you came to see me. Willow, Dawn and Xander just left."

"I needed to see you. I only have an hour and fifteen minutes. Visiting hours are over at eight." Faith said. She busied herself by putting unwrapping the two dozen rozens she'd bought from a bodega on the way to the hospital.

"I've got in good with the nursing staff. They'll let you to stay with me all night. I want you to stay."

"You know, I pictured you saying that but under... different circumstances." Faith wiggled her eyebrows at Buffy.

Buffy chuckled, then winced. "Don't make me laugh. And you're a pig."

It was Faith's turn to laugh. "I'm sorry. How do you feel today?"

"I'm alright. The swelling in my face has gone down. Doesn't hurt as bad."

"And your ribs?" Faith asked. She sat down in the chair by Buffy's bedside.

"Better. Doc says they'll heal perfectly and be as good as new."

"Good." Faith ran her fingers up and down Buffy's forearm.

"Now, tell me what you're hiding from me."

Faith smirked and looked Buffy in the eyes. "Those green eyes get me every time."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "You're stalling."

Sighing, Faith looked at her lover. "I really wanted Lindsey to be the one to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"Two detectives came to my loft today. They were asking me about a guy named Langdon Sarkisian. He was part of the Armenian mob. Their boss was just convicted on twenty counts of murder. The verdict was handed down this morning. He's serving twenty life sentences."

"Lindsey's case."

Faith nodded. "And something's telling me that his people aren't too happy about that."

"Does Lindsey know?"

"I don't know, babe. I came right over after the cops left my place."

Despite the situation, Buffy smiled.

"What are you smiling for?"

"You called me 'babe'." Buffy answered. Faith rolled her eyes and her dimples appeared.

"Faith," Buffy began, "I need you to do me a favor."

"Anything. Except touch snakes. I won't touch a snake for you." Faith half-joked.

Buffy smiled again.

* * *

_One week later..._

"Careful! Don't hurt her o-or everything is just going to break apart." Dawn's paranois added.

"I'm hurting. Not a glass vase, people." Buffy said. Xander and Lindsey helped Buffy into the house and onto the couch.

"Can we get you anything, Buff?" Xander asked.

"Just some peace and quiet with a side of 'shush', please?" Buffy asked, sweetly.

Xander smiled. "You got it, Buff."

Dawn leaned down to kiss Buffy's forehead. She grabbed Dawn's hand.

"Dawnie. I'm so sorry that I missed your graduation. I wanted to be there." Buffy's voice shook and tears threatened to fall down her face.

"I know, Buffy. You have nothing to be sorry for. It's not your fault. Besides, Xander taped the whole embarrassing thing. You can watch it over and over." Dawn smiled at her sister. Buffy nodded and gave Dawn a sad smile.

"I'd hug you if I wasn't afraid of breaking you." Dawn attempted to lighten the mood.

Buffy tried to laugh but winced as pain shot through her ribs. "Ow."

"Alright, everyone. Out you go. Out. Out." Lindsey laughed as he showed Xander and Dawn to the door. Once he shut and locked the door, Buffy sighed loudly.

"What's wrong? Is it your ribs?"

"No. My ribs are fine. It's my heart that hurts."

"Your heart."

"We need to talk." Buffy said.

"Wow. We almost made it a whole month of marriage before those four words popped up."

"Were you ever going to tell me about Langdon Sarkisian?" Buffy asked. Her voice was firm, but the tears were evident in her eyes.

Shock flashed across Lindsey's face. "H-how did you-?"

"Find out?" Buffy interrupted. "That's not important. What _is _important is that my life might still be in danger."

"No. No, I don't think it is, Buffy."

"Lindsey, if they knew about my art gallery, they have to know where we live as well."

"I don't think so."

"You're a lawyer for god's sake. Even _you _can't be that naive." Buffy's body was shaking with anger and she thought she'd pass out from the effect it was having on her sore ribs. Tears had started to fall. Lindsey moved to sit next to Buffy.

"What can I do to make you feel safe?"

"I'm sorry, Lindsey, but, there's nothing that you can do."

"You... you're leaving me?"

"Not leaving you... per se. I just can't stay here."

"So we'll go to the beach house."

"Like I said, they have to know where we live. All of our addresses. Look, I know you think I'm being melodramatic or whatever, but, I'm not in the mood for a fight right now."

Lindsey nodded his head. "Okay. Uh, should I call Willow?"

"Th-that's it?" Buffy didn't think he'd give in so easily.

"Yeah. I mean, I've never seen you actually admit that you're vulnerable. Weak, even." Lindsey inhaled deeply and exhaled through his mouth, his cheeks puffing with air. "So, off to Willow's?"

"No, actually, I'm going to stay with Faith."

"Upstairs? Are you serious?"

"No. Her beach house. I don't want to take any chances." Buffy told him. Lindsey nodded.

"I understand." Lindsey said. "I love you, Buffy."

"I love you too."

_**Up Next: Life at the beach house.**_

_**A/N: While I recognize that this scenario would be HIGHLY unlikely in real life, but, personally, I just wanna see some more Fuffy lovin'. How about you? (;**_


	17. Jerk

_**A/N: Don't hate me. K? 'Cause I love you guys! (:**_

_**Chapter 17: Jerk**_

For the next month-and-a-half, Buffy recovered at Faith's beach estate. She allowed Lindsey to come see her whenever he wanted as long as he called first. Faith took extra special care of Buffy; making sure she took the right meds at the right time. Xander, Willow, Dawn, Tara and Anya all made appearances to check on Buffy's well-being.

A month after Buffy's attack, her doctor cleared her to work again. Faith drove her to the gallery, but with broken glass crunching under Buffy's feet, it wasn't long before she got emotional. Buffy grabbed a few files and called a canvas restorer to fix the few paintings that were damaged in the attack.

That night, Buffy seduced Faith with wine, candles, an erotic massage and a bubble bath. Everything seemed more sensual at Faith's beach house. Romantic nights in the in-ground hot tub. Morning walks on the beach. Lunch at the country club only two blocks away. And sunset drinks on Faith's balcony. Buffy couldn't have asked for more.

_Mid-June, Saturday, Venice Beach, 8:30pm_

Buffy's laugh rang out over the dinner table. She reached for her glass of red wine and glanced at Faith. Fully recovered, with nothing but a little scar, Buffy lifted her glass while her counterpart poured more wine. When the glass was half-full, Buffy raised her other hand to stop her.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?"

"Of course. I have every plan to intoxicate you and then take advantage of you." Faith stated.

"Believe me, you don't have to intoxicate me first." Buffy flirted back.

"There are six boudoirs in this house. Why can't you two go get one?" Spike asked, disgusted at their affections.

Faith laughed breathily into her cup of iced tea.

"Aww, Spikey. What's wrong?" Buffy asked as if Spike was toddler.

"Spike hasn't been getting any lately."

"Oh, do shut up." Spike shot at her.

Faith smiled and raised her eyebrows at Buffy. "See? He's frustrated."

"Poor, poor Spike."

"Bite me, yeah?" Spike said. He grabbed the frosted bottle of top-shelf vodka and got up from the table, studying his phone.

Faith put her iced tea down. And looked in the direction that he left.

"He's upset about something. I should go see what's wrong with him." Faith excused herself.

_Guest Room #4_

"William." Faith's voice was calm and soothing.

Spike stood in his bedroom, naked, a pair of swimming trunks in his hand. He turned around, giving her a full-length view of his rock hard abs and god-like manhood. She leaned against the doorway, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Very, very impressive, Mr. Pratt." Faith complimented, smirking.

"Just going for a nighttime swim, luv." He stalked towards her and she put her hand on his chest, stopping him before he got too close. "Care to join me?"

Faith pushed him further back into the room, hand still on his chest, walking with him. She inhaled deeply, her eyes heading down his body once more.

"Down, boy."

Spike responded with a smirk and his signature tongue flick between his teeth. When Faith turned to leave, Spike grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him.

"Sorry about being such a stupid git back there." Spike apologized.

"I'm sorry, too." She lightly punched his arm. "What's going on with you? You've been walking around grumpy all day."

"Right, well, I had a shot at talking to an A&R guy, but my stupid manager never gave me the message. So, I'm right back where I started."

"Can't you just call the A&R guy yourself?"

"I don't know which record label he was from. Anyway, I fired my manager."

"Good. Now, you can help me find a new agent and I'll help you find a new manager. Deal?" Faith asked.

"Deal."

"Cool. Now, put some clothes on, bro." Faith laughed.

In the kitchen, Buffy was putting silverware and glasses in the sink. She rolled up the sleeves on her thigh-length button-up top.

"Busted." Faith said from the entrance to the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

"Cleaning."

"Well, stop." She laughed.

"Why? I'm all healed. Hallelujah." Buffy joked.

"Because then my cleaning lady won't have anything to do tomorrow morning." Faith told her.

Buffy looked at her skeptically.

"Besides," Faith smiled, "I have something for you."

The abrupt sound of the doorbell sounded at the door. Faith jogged to the front hall and hopped up the two small steps to the door. Lindsey stood at the door, a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Buffy, your husband's here!" Faith yelled. She opened the door for him. "Come on in, Lindsey. It's good to see you."

"Thanks. It's good to see you too, Faith."

"I'm so sure." Faith muttered under her breath as she shut the door behind them. She and Lindsey walked into her living room and Buffy walked in from the kitchen.

"Hey." She said, smiling.

"Hi." He replied.

"I'll just be... doing something." Faith commented, leaving the husband and wife alone.

"These are for you." Lindsey offered Buffy the lilies.

"That's so sweet. Thank you." Buffy fawned. "So, what's going on? Is everything okay?"

"No. I miss you and I want you home, baby. You've been gone for nearly two months now. When are you coming home?"

"Lindsey, I told you. When I feel safe, I'll come home."

"And meanwhile, I'm coming home to an empty loft and damn near starving."

"Lindsey, you're from Texas. You know how to cook."

"We haven't made love in only God knows how long."

Blowing her breath out of her mouth, Buffy calmed herself down. "Do not try to pressure me to come home. If you really want me back, you'll sell that loft and find us a new home. Somewhere safer."

"Okay! Okay, then that's what I'll do." Lindsey's voice was full of hope and it filled Buffy with a new sense of security.

"Good."

Buffy walked around the house after her husband left, looking in different rooms, searching for Faith. Finally, she heard Faith's laugh coming from the backyard. She opened the sliding door and saw Faith and Spike by the pool. Faith had pulled her hair into a ponytail and was sitting on the edge of the in-ground hot tub with a glass in her hand. A half empty bottle of Belvedere vodka sat next to her. Spike was inside of the boiling water, holding a cup of brown liquor.

"Hey." Buffy smiled as she shut the door behind her.

"What's up, B? Pull up a floatie."

Buffy pulled off her Ugg boots, circled halfway around the hot tub and sat down next to Spike, putting her feet and calves inside of the Jacuzzi.

"Faith, here, is trying her hand at alcohol poisoning. Isn't that right, luv?"

"S'not true. But, I do feel very, very light. Like a feather." Faith said, then she laughed hysterically.

"You're wasted." It was more of a question than a statement. "I was only gone for twenty minutes."

"There's a reason." Spike mumbled to Buffy. Buffy nodded her head in understanding. She leaned over and reached into the water, playing. "She was telling me a story."

"So, anyway, I was telling William about my first time with Kennedy."

Buffy's head shot up and her hand stilled in the water. "What?"

Spike grabbed her hand, trying silently to tell her something.

"Are you going home to hubby? I assume that's why he was here." Faith changed the topic yet again. Vodka was definitely not her drink.

"Are you _trying _to hurt me or do you just want your ass kicked?" Buffy inquired. She was sure that the rage in her own eyes was pure and apparent. The blonde stood up and started back towards the house.

"Buffy." Spike said.

"Let her go." Faith told him.

Buffy went to her room and shut the door. She changed into sweats and got under the covers of the queen-sized sleigh bed. There was a knock at the door.

"Go away."

"It's Spike, pet."

Buffy sighed heavily. "Come in."

Spike opened the door and shut it behind him. Walking to the bed, he sat her Ugg boots by the nightstand. "You left these by the pool."

"Thanks."

He sat down on the edge of her bed. "She loves you. And because she has to share you, she lashes out.

"She knew that it was going to be like this."

"The thing about Faith is, she's always had to share what she wanted. From the time she was young, Faith had to share her mom with whatever man her mother was seeing at the time. She had to share Kennedy with every other country in the world because of her modeling career. And now she has to share you with your husband. She doesn't trust him."

"What? Why doesn't she trust Lindsey?"

"That's something she better chat with you about, pet." He said, patting Buffy's hand. "Faith is a big teddy bear. Even when her intentions are to hurt, there's always a deeper meaning."

"Spike, why would she push and push and push to be with me if she was just going to turn around and try to hurt me?"

"Like I said, there's a deeper meaning." Spike smiled at Buffy. "If I know her like I think I do, she's probably pacing outside of your door trying to think of a way to apologize."

"That probably isn't such a good idea."

"Alcohol or not, she knows better. Just... try, yeah?" Spike urged.

Buffy sat up against the headboard and looked down, picking her nails. Spike waited patiently. Reluctantly, she nodded her head. "Okay. Yeah. Let her in."

Spike stood up, crossed the room and opened the door. Sure enough, Faith stopped dead in her tracks. Her arms were crossed and she looked deep in thought. When Spike opened the door, she had the sweetest 'deer caught in headlights' look on her face. He had to stop himself from laughing.

"Watch that mouth of yours." Spike warned quietly before she walked into the room. Spike shut the door behind him.

"I'm so sorry." Faith said. She stumbled across the room to the bed and crawled onto it. She sat, Indian-style, towards the bottom of the bed, unsure as to how much space Buffy wanted.

"I just want to know what the hell was going through your head out there."

"Two glasses of Jack Daniels and four shots of Belvedere." Faith answered.

"Do you think we need to get you into an AA meeting?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Did you try to hurt me because Lindsey showed up unannounced?"

"I don't care that he showed up without calling. I just don't... like him."

"Why?"

"I don't trust him."

"Why not?"

"He's cheating on you."

"What? Why would you say that?"

"I have a... a feeling."

"Just a feeling? I can't base the destruction of my marriage on just a feeling, Faith. You have to give me more than that."

Faith sighed and didn't respond. She clumsily made her way up to Buffy and kissed her lips gently. Sweetly, she kissed Buffy's cheek and then her lips again before getting out of the bed.

"You're right. I can't give you anything more." She said while she walked to the door.

When Faith reached the door, she looked back at a speechless Buffy on the bed. "Goodnight, baby."

With that, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Did you tell her about the private investigator? Does she know you have proof of Lindsey's infidelities?" Spike asked as soon as the door shut.

"No." Faith said. She solemly walked deeper into the house, towards her bedroom.

_**Up Next: What's done in the dark, comes to the light.**_

_**A/N: Oh snap! Whaaaat? I know, I know. You all hated Faith in this chapter, but TRUST ME. It's JUST getting good. And you know Buffy can't stay mad at our favorite brunette forever. (:**_


	18. I Can See Clearly Now

_**A/N: Okay, the reviews you guys are posting: I LOVE THEM! And I love you guys. Thanks so much for the support, criticism, and suggestions. I definitely take everything you guys say and edit future chapters! A special thanks to: SpySkater, mymindisonyou, RedLinen19, rampantjake. And everyone else who review continuously! You all are amazing! (: Also, this chapter hasn't been beta'd, so forgive me for any major errors.**_

_**P.S. eenak, you're an awesome reviewer! Thanks for the 'novel-length' review! And send me that suggestion you were talking about! (:**_

_**Chapter 18: I Can See Clearly Now**_

The next morning, Faith tried everything she could to make up for her drunken emotions. She presented Buffy with breakfast in bed, courtesy of Donatello, her middle-aged Italian chef. Afterwards, she offered to help Buffy clean out the old gallery. Buffy knew that Faith was overcompensating but she smiled politely and took Faith up on her offer.

_Sunday, Galleria de Veranos, 3:33pm_

"Lunch is served." Faith said. She closed the office door, then plopped a bag of Chinese takeout on the files on Buffy's desk.

"Yay! I'm starving." Buffy responded. She slipped a few more folders into a filing cabinet and slammed it shut. When she turned around, Faith was right behind her. The brunette put her hand on Buffy's stomach and softly pushed her against the filing cabinet. Her smile was devious.

"What are you up to?"

Faith pressed her front against Buffy's. Buffy gasped. Where the softness of a woman should have been, Buffy could feel a thick hardness Faith took Buffy's hand and placed it between her own legs.

"You want it?"

Buffy swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah.

Faith took Buffy's hand and led her over to the desk. She kissed Buffy's lips. Her neck. And then the small, sensitive spot behind her ear, before bending Buffy over the desk and hiking up her skirt and slipping her panties down.

The sound of Faith unzipping her black slacks turned Buffy on more than she ever thought possible. Soon, she felt the cool tip of the hard, rubber cock rubbing against her wet slit.

"Unnnhhh." Buffy moaned. Inch by inch, Faith gently yet firmly pushed into Buffy. Buffy squealed when Faith pushed the last of the eight inches inside of her. Faith put her hand over Buffy's mouth as she pulled out and pushed back into her.

"Oh god!" Buffy's moan was muffled into Faith's hand. Faith lifted Buffy's right leg and placed it on the desk, giving her the leverage to go deeper. When the pair established a steady rhythm, Buffy tried to grasp at the edge of the desk. Faith leaned over, still stroking, and whispered dirty connotations in Buffy's ear. Buffy let out a guttural moan against Faith's palm.

"That feel good, baby?" Faith whispered. Their bodies rocked together perfectly. A scream caught in Buffy's throat and all she could do was nod. She was so close to her climax when a knock sounded at the door.

"Buffy? I'm back from lunch." Jasmine's voice sounded.

Faith removed her hand and was about to pull out when Buffy stopped her.

"Okay!" Buffy's voice was strained and shaky. Without missing a beat, Faith started stroking again. Then she reached around and firmly rubbed Buffy's clit quickly.

Buffy's climax came hard and fast. Rushing over her like waves at the beach. Her body shook and her pussy clench and unclenched around Faith's cock. Faith wrapped her arm around Buffy's waist and held her up while she slid out of Buffy's core. Buffy's hand smacked against the desk as she tried to keep her balance. Her knees were entirely too weak to stand up without support.

When Buffy could feel her legs again, she and Faith gathered themselves and ate lunch. The entire meal, all Buffy could do was smile childishly at Faith who pretended not to notice. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She grinned back.

"What are you smiling at?" Faith questioned.

"Nothing." Buffy said. Then she smiled cheekily again.

"Oh, I get it. I was your first." Faith smirked.

"Well, duh."

"If I had a dollar."

"We get it! You'd be a millionaire." Buffy laughed.

"No. Actually, if I had a dollar for every time I was a girl's first wild lesbian experience, I'd have a dollar." Faith admitted.

The ceasing of Buffy's hands moving in the Chinese food carton was proof of her shock at this revelation.

"Don't be so surprised."

"I expected more from you, Faith Lehane." Buffy said. She smiled and looked back down at her food.

"B, you should know by now not to expect anything but a good time from me." Faith joked.

"Right. 'Cause that's why I'm with you." Buffy joked back.

Faith shrugged and reached towards the desk for a bottled, mineral water.

* * *

_Galleria de Veranos, 6:59pm_

"Well, that's everything." Buffy said.

They had officially packed up all of Buffy's files and movers had come to take the paintings and sculptures to storage. For the next week, Buffy would be moving into a new building and office. She just didn't feel the same sense of security in her old building after the attack.

"Great. And tomorrow, we'll be unpacking everything that we just packed." Jasmine chuckled.

"Jas, thank you so much for coming and working today. Consider it time-and-a-half." Buffy told her.

"It was no problem." She hugged Buffy. "You two be safe getting home."

"We will." Faith said. Jasmine hugged her too and headed out of the office.

"Okay. Let's get home."

"I can't. I have to have dinner with my husband." Buffy told her.

Faith nodded her head while grabbing her keys. "Are you coming back to the beach estate?"

"Yeah." Buffy said. "Hey, last night you said you had something for me, but Lindsey came over and you got wasted before we got to that part."

Faith chuckled under her breath and put her hand inside of her cargo jacket pocket. "Who's to say I didn't already give it to you?"

Buffy smiled and put her hand out. "Smart ass."

Faith pulled a set of three, fresh, gold keys. They were hooked onto a gold, cursive letter 'B'. They jingled sweetly as she placed them into Buffy's palm. "One to the loft. Two for the beach house."

"Aww, Faith." Buffy whined. Her eyes teared up a little. She threw her arms around Faith's neck, hugging her tightly.

"You're welcome."

* * *

_Larchmont Grill, 8:00pm_

"It's been a long time since you and I actually had a date." Lindsey commented.

As they shared a family sized plate of cajun chicken and shrimp alfredo, Buffy and Lindsey chatted about what had been going on in their lives recently.

"I have to admit, we have a rather unorthodox marriage so far." Buffy responded, truthfully.

"Lilah said the same thing. She said it will all work out because-."

"Wait, you told your associate about what's been going on in our marriage?"

"Well, no. She had to know about the Kazarkian case. Her life could have been in danger, too."

"So, you two decided to, what, share your war stories?" Buffy asked.

"No." Lindsey sighed. "Buffy, stop trying to pick a fight. Lilah says we shouldn't let this tear our marriage apart. It's still in its vulnerable stages."

"Lilah has a lot of advice for a single woman."

Lindsey smiled, thoughtfully. "She has a psych degree under her belt."

Buffy furrowed her eyebrows. Using the fork to poke the creamy noodles on her plate, she started the think.

"Have you, uh, have you started to look for new places?" Buffy inquired.

"No, but Lilah said she had been looking at a place last fall. It's still on the market, so after we file the paperwork on the Kazarkian case with the DA, I'll go check it out."

Buffy nodded her head.

_Note to self: have Willow check out this Lilah Morgan_, Buffy thought.

"Have you been staying at the loft?"

"Actually, I'm using the company penthouse at the Ivy."

"Good. I'm glad you're safe."

"There's something you should know."

"What's that?"

"There was a break-in at the loft last night."

Fear rushed through Buffy's heart. "Uh, did they take anything?"

"No. All of your jewelry was in the safe. The only thing out of place was that the door was unlocked and cracked open."

"Were you the one that found the door open?"

"No. I got a call from Johnathan across the hall. He heard someone jiggling the lock. He thought I'd locked myself out. When he looked out the peephole, he saw a man in all black picking the lock. Let himself in and John called the cops. When the guy heard the sirens, he ran from the loft and out the back steps."

"Well, it sounds like he was looking for something. I mean, he must have known we weren't home. He would have had to assume that we were at work."

"That's what Detective Holt said, too."

"Do you have any case files in the house? Anything that might be considered evidence against Kazarkian?"

"Case files are in the safe, but he's already been convicted. And everything that's in the safe is evidence that will keep him there for life."

Buffy sighed. She couldn't believe that this had become her life.

Lindsey's phone chimed. He reached inside of his suit pocket to get it. He ignored the call and put his phone back in his jacket.

"Did you need to answer that?" Buffy asked.

"No. It's just Lilah. She probably got more files for me to look over."

Buffy reached over and put her hand over her husband's. "Just... be careful, Lindsey."

* * *

_Venice beach, 10:09pm_

Buffy opened the door to the house and stepped inside. Her nose was immediately assaulted with the smell of acrylic paint and aerosal sprays. She coughed and walked further into the house and downstairs towards Faith's workshop.

"Trying to kill us?" Buffy asked. She sat down on the stairs, mid-way down.

Faith was sitting in the middle of the workshop on a wooden stool. She stopped the airbrush device she was using, slid down the mask that covered her mouth and nose and smiled at Buffy. "Of course not. How was dinner?"

"It was good, but Lindsey dropped a bomb on me."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, apparently there was a break-in at the house. I think the guy was looking for something."

"Are you okay?

"As far as my safety, I've never felt more secure when I got here and locked the door behind me. But... as far as Lindsey goes: I think you're right."

"About what?"

"About Lindsey."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's just a feeling." Buffy said. She leaned back, her elbows resting on the step above her.

Faith busied herself by taking her plastic gloves off. She would never say 'I told you so'. That wasn't her style. She needed Buffy to see it for herself.

"Sometimes that's all you need." Faith said.

_**Up Next: Buffy asks for help. Grand Opening at Buffy's new gallery. Fuffy fluff.**_


	19. Begin Again

_**A/N: Just a little fluffy 'Fuffy' filler. (: Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 19: Begin Again**_

Buffy slid a thin piece of a paper across the table to her redhead best friend.

"What's this?"

"A blank check."

"For what?"

"I want to hire you."

Willow sat the steaming styrofoam cup down. "So, I take it that you didn't want to meet for coffee just to catch up."

"I do, actually. This whole morning, I've been going back and forth in my head trying to decide whether or not to ask you."

"What exactly are you asking me, Buffy?"

"I think Lindsey is cheating on me. I know it sounds outrageous, but my mother always said 'better safe than sorry'."

Willow nodded her head. "Okay. Yeah, of course. Anything for you, Buffy. I'm working on three major cases right now but I should be finished those by next week. I can start tailing him soon."

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Willow."

* * *

_1 week later, Friday, August, 8:00pm_

"Buff, stop freaking out. Everything is perfect. The lights, the music, the caterering." Xander told her. He put his hands on her shoulders and stopped her from pacing.

"I know, I-I... I'm just making sure the floors aren't too slippery from the wax."

"Uh huh. And I'm Mike Tyson." Xander quipped.

Within the next half-hour, dozens of people started filing into the newer, larger gallery. Buffy smiled graciously and sashayed gracefully through the gallery, meeting and greeting everyone. Waiters and waitresses floated in and out, offering classic hor d'oeuvres and flutes filled with the expensive champagne.

Her friends gave Buffy support by showing up and Cordelia even bought a painting. The first sale in the new building. Faith and Spike showed up fifteen minutes before Lilah Morgan did.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Buffy muttered. Faith barely heard the comment before Lilah walked over.

"Hello, Buffy. Your new gallery is beautiful. I bought you a little something." Lilah said. Her voice was so sweet, Faith thought she'd get a cavity just listening.

Lilah handed Buffy a small, gold gift back with white wrapping paper peeking over the top.

"Thanks, Lilah. You didn't have to."

"Oh, it's nothing." Lilah downplayed the gift. She reached out for a glass of champange as a waitress walked by. "Is Lindsey around? I should probably say hi."

Faith stepped forward and Spike discreetly grabbed her forearm, forcing her to sit back down. Her actions didn't go unnoticed by Buffy.

"Uh, yeah. He's around somewhere." Buffy answered. Lilah excused herself and walked off to find Buffy's husband.

"You know, I'm disliking that bitch more and more." Buffy stated calmly.

"Spike should have let me break her nose."

"Violence isn't the answer."

"Says the guy who punches the wall when his favorite soccer team loses." Faith shot back.

Spike shrugged his shoulder and drank from his glass. Buffy smirked. She always loved when Faith and Spike went back and forth.

"Do you think Lindsey invited her?" Buffy questioned.

"How else would she hear about the opening?" Faith replied.

"Good point."

After a well-thought out speech, thanking everyone for coming and hoping they enjoyed themselves, things started to dwindle down. Buffy made two more sales and others took home business cards, promising to return. Once the guests were gone, Buffy, Xander, Faith, Spike, Jasmine and Lindsey were left to close the gallery down.

"Eight grand on opening night. This opening was better than the building on Wilshire." Buffy admitted.

"You're like a madame for art."

"I'm pretty sure you just called me a whore of art." Buffy laughed. "I appreciate that."

The group laughed while Jasmine hit the lights. They all walked out together and waited while Buffy locked the doors. Spike and Lindsey pulled down the wrought iron glass defense and Buffy locked that as well.

"Thanks for coming, guys! I really appreciate it." Buffy said.

"Anytime, Buffster." Xander respoonded, hugging her. Jasmine followed suit.

"I'll see you Monday morning." Jas told her. Spike walked with Jasmine to make sure she got to car safely.

Lindsey pulled his wife into a hug and kissed her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Buffy responded.

Faith, who was turned towards the cars parked on the street, rolled her eyes as she looked down at her phone.

_30 minutes later, Venice Beach estate, 11:45pm_

Buffy and Faith showered, dressed and got into Faith's king-sized, sleigh bed. The blonde snuggled closely and let her girlfriend's arms hold her tightly.

"Have you talked to Willow?"

"I'm meeting with her on Wednesday to see what she's found."

"Good."

"I'm not so sure."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know if I want to know."

Faith didn't have to ask. She understood. Even though Buffy was living another life, she still had a connection to Lindsey. They'd gone through three years of courting and a year of engagement before they got married.

"Kiss me." Faith said.

Buffy turned over, put her hand on Faith's cheek and stroked it gently. She kissed the brunette's lips softly, over and over.

"I love you." Buffy whispered. "God, no matter how much I try to stop myself from believeing it, I just can't. I love you."

Faith pulled Buffy closer and held her tighter, her face buried in Buffy's blonde tresses. She sniffled and the tears that welled in her eyes dared to fall, rolling slowly down her cheeks.

"I love you too, Buffy."

It was the first time anyone, since Kennedy, had announced their love for her. Faith couldn't explain the overwhelming feeling in her heart but it was something that she never wanted to lose again. This time, things would be different. This time, she'd make sure she did whatever she could so she wouldn't lose what she wanted the most: Buffy.

_**Up Next: Willow's talents are explored. Buffy & Faith's anniversary dinner.**_


	20. Jackpot

_**A/N: You guys are so awesome for sticking with this story. This chapter was pretty awesome to write. A little cliche but, still enjoyable. (: This one is for the "We Hate Lindsey/We Love Fuffy" fanclub (which I am totally a member)! Haha. Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 20: Jackpot**_

_Monday, downtown Los Angeles_

Willow sat back against the seat of her black Cadillac Escalade. She pulled her long, red hair into a bun and placed a pair of dark aviator sunglasses over her eyes. She'd watched Lindsey drive from the Ivy hotel to Starbucks and then to work. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Now, all she had to do was wait.

Fortunately for Willow, Buffy was good friends with Lindsey's assistant, Satsu. Buffy had called Satsu and fabricated a 'surprise party' for Lindsey and needed his schedule for the next week. Satsu did Buffy one better and printed out his calendar for the entire month. Buffy passed it off to Willow, who followed Lindsey as he followed his schedule to the letter.

By lunchtime, Willow had watched while her best friend's husband picked up his own dry cleaning, had lunch with a male client and headed back into the office. All the while, she snapped away with her professional, Nikon digital camera. She went into the office and talked to a few of his co-workers, under the guise of a future client who just wanted to get to know her lawyer better. Yet, everyone gave him glowing references.

Around eleven p.m., once Willow made sure that Lindsey was tucked safely in bed at the Ivy, she walked into the hotel and to the concierge desk.

"Welcome to the Ivy. How may I be of service?"

Putting on a subtle, Southern drawl, Willow responded, "Hi, my friend Lindsey McDonald is staying in the penthouse, I was just wondering if you could be a doll and call up for him."

"Absolutely." The concierge picked up the phone and pressed a few buttons. She never spoke a word before she put the receiver back onto the cradle. "I'm sorry, ma'am. He has a 'do not disturb' on his phone. Could I leave him a message for you?"

"No, thank you. You've been sugar and spice. Have a great night."

And with that, Willow decided to call it a night.

_Tuesday, Los Angeles_

Willow reminded herself that she was doing this for Buffy. She was actually happy that Lindsey wasn't doing anything that defiled his marriage. This would be good news for Buffy. Perhaps Buffy could move back home and they could start up where they left off.

Again, Willow followed Lindsey around town as he worked and ran a few errands on his off time. He went to a police station, a court house, lunch and then back to work. Around three in the afternoon, Willow snapped a few pictures as he talked with Lilah Morgan for a few moments. He kissed her on the cheek and put her in a cab. The gesture was almost too platonic, as if he knew that anyone could be watching him. Sure enough, Lindsey looked around his settings before he walked back into his office building.

"He's not dumb." Willow said to herself. "He knows I'm a private investigator. He won't do anything stupid."

_Cafe La Boheme, West Hollywood, 9:45pm_

"Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Trust me." Faith added. "And close your eyes."

Though she felt silly for closing her eyes in the middle of dinner, Buffy did as she was told. She breathed out and closed her eyes.

"Don't try to slip GHB into my drink." Buffy warned.

"That's hilarious." Faith deadpanned. "Okay, open your eyes."

The first thing she saw was Faith leaned over the table with her chin resting on her fist. Her gaze fell onto the table and Buffy's followed right behind it. A small, jewelry box sat on the table in front of her.

"I can't believe you remembered."

"Of course I did. One year ago, today, I almost knocked you down with a canvas." Faith mused.

Buffy smiled cheekily as she pulled the white ribbon off of the light blue, Tiffany & Co. box. When she lifted the lid, the candlelight of their dinner table bounced off of the diamond ring and it's gold band.

"Faith," Buffy breathed out, "it's beautiful."

"You like it?"

"Are you kidding? It's perfect." Buffy freed the ring from its prison and placed it on the ring finger of her right hand. It was a little loose so Buffy removed it and put it on her middle finger.

"I'm glad you like it."

"I have something for you, too." Buffy said. She reached into her handbag and pulled out a long jewelry box. Handing it to Faith, Buffy zeroed in on her face, excited for her reaction.

"Oh, god. Buffy, thank you. I'm speechless. It's amazing." Faith appeared genuinely touched by the thin, gold necklace. A lightweight, infinity symbol dangled from it when Faith picked it up.

"I remembered you told me that you lost one just like it when you were seven."

"The one my mom gave me." Faith finished for her. She couldn't believe that Buffy had managed to find a necklace that was exactly the same as the one she'd lost when she was a little girl. "This must have taken you forever to find."

"No. I got a jeweler to make it, actually." Buffy explained. Faith looked up and Buffy could see the tears building up. Reaching over, Buffy placed her hand over her girlfriend's.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too, Faith."

_Los Angeles, 9:45pm_

Willow followed the cab that had just departed from Lindsey's hotel.

Dinner with a client?, Willow thought. At a red light, she reached over and scanned the calender.

"Why, Mr. McDonald, this isn't on the schedule for this evening." Willow mused.

She followed the cab all the way to the local movie theater. Standing in line at the front of the building was none other than Lilah Morgan.

"This just got interesting." Willow said to herself. She snapped a few pictures.

Nearly two hours later, she watched as the pair exited the theater, got into a car that presumably belonged to Lilah and drove away. Willow followed and snapped a few pictures when they reached their destination.

"Great. Just great."

_Saxyby's Coffee House, Wednesday, Los Angeles_, 1:33pm

"So, Willow, what do you have for me?" Buffy said, sipping her cappuccino.

Willow handed Buffy a large, sealed manila envelope. While the blonde opened it, Willow started her speech. One she'd given countless times.

"Through much investigative and field work, I was able to determine that Lindsey McDonald appeared to be an upstanding gentleman. However, after a little overtime, I discovered some things that you should see."

Buffy pulled out enlarged copies of photos that Willow had taken during her routine work. She flipped through the first three photos; _Lindsey and Lilah entering the movies. Lindsey and Lilah leaving the movies. Lindsey and Lilah holding hands, walking up the steps of an unknown house._

The next photo was of a shirtless Lindsey closing the blinds of an illuminated living room.

The final photo was what Buffy assumed they called the "money shot". It was time-stamped at '7:34am'. A cab was out front of the house and Lindsey was passionately kissing Lilah who was dressed only in a red silk robe.

Buffy smiled. "Nice work, Will. What do I owe you?"

"Buffy, are you okay? You're taking this a lot easier than I thought you would."

"Like I said, Wills, I already had my suspicions. I just needed them confirmed." Buffy explained.

"What are you going to do with the information?"

"Well, Willow, I don't know yet. But when I do know, you'll be the first person I call." Buffy said, smiling.

_**Up Next: Faith deals.**_


	21. Outreach

_**A/N: The two community centers that I've mentioned here are totally fictional and were named by me looking around my room at 1. Hawthorne DVD case (Christina) 2. A Twilight novel (Meyer), 3. My Abby Cadabby Doll (yes, I have one. Don't judge me) and 4. My high school yearbook (North **__PENN __**High). Enjoy! (:**_

_**Chapter 21: Outreach**_

_Flashback (Nine years ago) 2003, Albany, New York, Saturday_

_In dark Ray Ban wayfarer sunglasses, blue jeans and a black cargo jacket, a twenty-one-year-old Faith stood outside of the Christina Meyer Community Center. Her hands trembled violently as she struggled to pull her wavy hair up into a bun, undoubtedly from her alcohol withdraw She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, only to be bombared with the image of Kennedy walking out of the door._

_That had been two weeks ago. Faith had called constantly and left dozens of voicemails and text messages, but the was indication was clear; Kennedy wanted nothing more to do with her. Faith was determined to pull herself up by her boot straps and get her life together. _

_The previous night, Faith had suffered a mental breakdown, destroying her entire apartment. She threw things, ripped things, wrote on the walls and and was ultimately stopped by Spike, who had come to check on her. _

_He found her breathing heavily about to throw the last unshattered item in her home; an irreplaceable, handcrafted, Egyptian lamp that had belonged to her mother. He took it out of her hands, sat her down on the sofa and held her as her heart-wrenching sobs nearly broke every fragile bone in her body._

_Now, here she was, getting help for herself. Faith stepped slowly up the concrete steps as if she were afraid that the next one cave in from the weight she was carrying on her shoulders. When she made it to the faded blue doors, she reached out and grabbed the handle, pulling it open._

_Faith walked into the building, looking around. She heard kids playing basketball to her left and a music class to her right. Walking straight, Faith passed by water fountains, trophy cases and community team banners. It almost reminded her of her old high school. She took off her sunglasses to get a better look at her surroundings. That's when she heard it._

_"Hi, my name is Andrew and I'm an alcoholic."_

_"Hi, Andrew." Came a chorus of voices. Faith turned towards the voices. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, preparing herself for her next life journey: sobering up._

_Present day, 2012, Los Angeles, Saturday_

Faith took off her dark Ray Ban sunglasses and looked up at the Abby Penn Community Center.

"You ready?" Buffy asked.

"Nervous." Faith admitted.

"Don't be. I'll be there to hold your hand the whole time."

"Thanks, B."

Together, the couple walked up the stairs and to the room that Faith was assigned. When she opened the door, eight kids all turned to look towards her, expectantly. She walked to the front and sat ontop of the desk. Buffy sat on a stool next to her.

"Hey, guys. I'm Faith. And this is my friend, Buffy." Faith started to breathe a litle easier. "I'm your instructor for the next two hours."

It had been Buffy's idea to teach an art class for underprivileged teenagers between the ages of fourteen and eighteen in the city. She believed that Faith could really do some good by helping the kids perfect their art and then sponsoring them in local art competitions. Faith thought the idea was perfect, not only to give back but to help Buffy get her mind off of her cheating husband.

"No way is her name really Buffy." A kid in the front said.

"You wanna see my driver's license?" Buffy asked, smiling.

"Yeah."

Buffy rifled through her bag for a few moments before standing up and handing the kid her license.

"Cool." He replied before handing it back to her.

"What's your name, wise guy?" Faith asked.

"Hollister."

"Wait, you're named after a clothing company and you're ragging on _my _name?" Buffy joked.

Hollister smiled. His smooth, brown skin gave way to dimples deeper than Faith's.

"Okay, Hollister, here, has just given me an idea. Now," Faith said, hopping off the desk, "I could just go around and ask everybody their name but, what would be the fun in that? So let's play the name game."

Faith gathered the eight kids, herself and Buffy and they all sat in a circle. When it was their turn, each person had to name all of the people ahead of him- or herself along with the adjective that they'd picked for themselves. Ten minutes later, it was Faith's turn.

"Ah. Lemme see if I can do this." Faith said, rubbing her hands together. "So, we have happy Harlow, serious Samantha, hot Hollister, artistic Audrey, creative Connor, busy Brian, cheeky Chelsea, keen Kendra, brainy Buffy and I, am fun Faith."

"Sweet! You've got a really good memory." Harlow complimented.

"Thanks." Faith said. "Have any of you taken art classes before?"

Eight hands raised in the air.

"Cool. Now, forget about all the stuff they've taught you in those classes and feel free to draw, scuplt, paint, sketch, doodle and airbrush your own way. You don't need someone else's idea of art to bring out whatever is inside of you." Faith told them. "Do you guys do it all? Or are some of you better at painting than sculpting?"

"I'm a painter." Samantha chimed in.

"Me too." Hollister agreed.

"Same." Came Connor's voice.

"I sculpt mostly. And I can sketch a little. Just enough to get an idea for what I want to sculpt." Faith had to strain to hear Chelsea's small, angelic voice.

"Kendra and I took the same Alternative Art class at Los Angeles High School. We can airbrush like nobody's business." Brian bragged, excitedly.

"What about you Audrey?" Faith asked.

"I'm into sketch. I wanna work with the police department one day as a sketch artist. Maybe help them catch some bad guys with my art."

"That sounds amazing. Don't give up on that." Buffy encouraged. "Harlow, what do you do?"

"Everything. I like to keep my options open." Harlow responded.

"My kind of girl." Faith chuckled.

"I thought _I _was your kind of girl?" Buffy muttered. Faith shot her a devious grin, giving Buffy a flash of her favorite dimples.

"Are you two together?" Hollister questioned. "I mean, like, _together _together."

Faith looked at Buffy for an answer. Buffy opened her mouth to speak but closed it. She looked at Hollister and smiled. "Yeah. We are."

Faith's heart felt lighter than it did the night Buffy pronounced her love for the brunette.

Happy with that answer, Hollister nodded his head. "That's what's up."

"Yeah?" Faith asked.

"Yeah." He replied. Nods of agreement followed from the rest of the group.

"Okay. Okay. Enough about us. I wanna know more about you guys. Let's see what you guys got." Buffy said. She stood up and headed to her art station. "Show me some masterpieces."

The kids jumped to their feet and scrambled to find a spot in the room where they felt the most comfortable. Before long, the room was filled with paint and airbrush fumes, wax sticks and pencil sharpener shavings. In between painting her own picture, Faith walked around the classroom, checking out everyone's work. With a little assistance from Buffy, Faith helped Samantha go with fluidity of her brush strokes and helped many of the others perfect their work as well. She was happy that Buffy had talked her into starting up the art classes.

* * *

"I think Audrey really has what it takes to work on police sketches. I mean, did you see the portrait she did of herself? And she wasn't even looking in the mirror!" Faith gushed.

For the past hour she had been lying on the couch, her head on Buffy's lap, talking about the students. Buffy, content with just listening, simply nodded her head and gave words of acknowledgement every now and then. She stroked Faith's hair and let her talk until she was blue in the face.

"You know what I think?" Faith asked, sitting up.

"What's that, babe?"

"I think we should start a foundation for those kids. You know, have your gallery start a foundation for underpriveleged artists. I'll obviously be the money behind the operation but I want you to be the face of it."

"Why me?"

"Hello?" Faith said, pointing to herself. "Secret identity."

"Sorry, I forgot I was dating Batman." Buffy joked.

"Exactly."

"I think it's a great idea, Faith."

"Me too. That's why I came up with it." Faith blew her breath on her nails and wiped them on her shirt. Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Alright, Bruce Wayne. Go take off your batsuit so we can get in a nice, hot bubble bath."

Faith grinned, proudly, and ran along to do what she was told.

_**Up Next: Buffy confronts Lindsey.**_


	22. Cheaters, Like The TV Show

_**A/N: This chapter addresses a few comments, questions and concerns that you guys have about the Buffy/Lindsey/Faith infidelity triangle. So, I hope it answers more questions that it asks. (: Enjoy!**_

_**P.S. This chapter is only half-edited. Lol. Sorry, I got lazy. (:**_

_**Chapter 22: Cheaters, Like The TV Show**_

_Sunday, Summers-McDonald Residence, 2:22pm_

Buffy let herself into the loft with her key. She and Lindsey had arranged to meet there by two-thirty so that they could talk about some things. Buffy heard Lindsey's footsteps coming from their bedroom. He smiled when he saw her, opening his arms for a hug as he approached. Buffy hugged him and then settled herself on the couch. In her hands, was a manila envelope.

"So, you said you had something that you needed to talk about." Lindsey started.

Buffy pulled her feet under her butt and sat the envelope of pictures on her lap. "Is there anything that you want to talk about first?"

Lindsey looked around the room, and then shrugged his shoulders. His gaze returned to her. "Nope. What's up?"

Buffy unsealed the envelope and removed the glossy photos from it. She placed them in his lap, one by one, until the money shot sat in his face. Lindsey sat there, stunned. He couldn't move, couldn't speak. There was nothing to say. Nothing to do.

"B-Buffy, I-I can explain."

"No need. Pictures are worth a thousand words."

"It's just that you weren't around and I'm-."

"A man? With needs?" Buffy scoffed. "Spare me."

The fact of the matter was, Buffy wanted to give Lindsey a clean break. After all, she'd been sleeping with Faith since before their wedding. She was just as guilty as he was. Still, she had to at least play the part of the disgruntled wife. _Didn't she?_

"Buffy."

"How long have you been sleeping with her?"

"Not long."

"How long?" Buffy repeated.

"Since she's been at Wolfram and Hart."

"She's been there for two years." Buffy said.

Lindsey looked up at Buffy, his eyes looking for sympathy. All of sudden, Buffy didn't feel so guilty about being with Faith. She'd been the victim of a cheating husband long before she'd even met her brunette lover. Now, Buffy was truly annoyed. She grabbed her phone and dialed a few numbers.

"Hey, I'm ready." She said into the phone.

Three minutes later, Xander, Spike, Faith and Willow entered the loft through the unlocked door. Each of them held flattened cardboard boxes.

"The bedroom's back this way." Buffy told them. They followed her down the hallway and into the bedroom. As Xander and Spike assembled the boxes, Buffy, Willow and Faith started taking her clothes out of the drawers and packing them neatly away in a few of her suitcases.

"Buffy, can we talk about this?"

"No." Buffy said adamantly.

"Xander, can you please talk some sense into her?" Lindsey was practically begging.

"No can do, buddy." Xander replied as he continued to assemble boxes.

Within an hour, they'd packed and removed three suitcases and nine boxes of Buffy's things. She'd also gone into the safe and taken her jewelry.

"That's most of it." Buffy told her friends.

Buffy turned to Lidnsey when they'd put the last box into the car. "I'll be back for the rest of my things later in the week."

He nodded, solemnly and waited for her to pull off before he went back into the apartment building.

* * *

_Tuesday, McDonald Residence, 6:22pm_

After work, Buffy drove to the loft to collect a few necessities that she'd left over the weekend. When she entered the apartment, only two lights on were the kitchen and the living room lights. One unfinished glass of wine had been abandoned on the dining room table. Another glass had been shattered by the floor; red wine spilling on Buffy's persian rug.

With a raised eyebrow, Buffy sat her large Berkin handbag on the table by the door and slipped out of her three-inch stilleto ankle booties. Heavy breathing and moans were the soundtrack as she walked down the hallway to the bedroom that she used to share with her, now estranged, husband.

The sight, in itself, should have been a shock to her, but it wasn't. Lilah Morgan's naked body writhing beneath her husband's. Buffy leaned against the doorway. Left ankle crossed over her right. Buffy put her hand in front of her face and scanned her nails.

"Please," she started, "don't stop on my account."

Shocked and embarrassed, Lindsey and Lilah jumped apart. Buffy moved to enter her closet to retrieve the items that she needed. Lilah pulled the sheets up over her naked body.

"Buffy, I-I-I can explain."

"Don't. You'll just dig yourself in a bigger hole. This marriage is over Lindsey. Anything you say from here on out should be said to my lawyer." Buffy told him as she headed out.

Buffy threw her things into her bag, slipped her shoes back on and headed out of the door with a smile on her face. Things had definitely gotten downright gritty.

* * *

_Venice Beach estate, 7:15pm_

Buffy slammed the door closed and locked it behind her. Her bag was left at the bottom of the steps as she made her way to the living room couch where Faith was sitting. Without a word, Buffy took the remote from her girlfriend's hand, muted the television and straddled her lap. While Buffy pulled Faith's silk scarf from her shoulders, she kissed Faith's neck and up to her ear.

"Bad day?" Faith inquired, an amused smirk playing on her lips. She put an arm around Buffy's small waist, firmly, but her eyes were still glued to the TV. Finally, Buffy looked at Faith.

She nodded her head. The look on her face was one of a disappointed child. Faith immediately knew that whatever was on Buffy's mind had to deal with Lindsey. She didn't, however, pry or pressure or force Buffy to talk about it. Faith knew that, sometimes, being there was simply enough.

"What can I do?" Faith asked.

"Kiss me."

Faith kissed her.

"Again."

Faith kissed Buffy again.

"Hug me." Buffy demanded. Faith put both arms around Buffy's waist and embraced her tightly.

"You want to talk about it?"

"I need you to find me a really good divorce lawyer." Buffy said.

"Done." Faith answered.

* * *

One hour later, Faith and Buffy were walking along the beach while the sunset turned a deep blue and stars started to twinkle.

"I think we should address the elephant in the room."

"We're not in a room. We're on the beach."

"You're hilarious." Faith deadpanned. She looked at Buffy and smirked.

"I know what you're going to say and I'm not judging him."

"Judging who?"

"Lindsey. I'm not judging him for cheating. I mean, after all, look what I've been doing. I gave myself to two people on my wedding day. You can't get more screwed up than that." Buffy admitted. "Faith, with you, I feel a connection that so deep and so complex that even I can't explain it. I didn't feel that with Lindsey."

Buffy paused to look up at the darkened sky. The stars looked like diamonds against black velvet and the large moon was shining brightly.

"Look, my mom and dad were two of the happiest people I know and they were usually happiest when they were together. They never cheated on each other. Of course they argued every now and then but that's to be expected. And one day, when I was about sixteen, they just decided that they were falling out of love with one another. And my father found a deeper, more complex connection with another woman but he never acted on his feelings until after he and my mother signed the divorce papers. My mother never blamed him for the divorce and the two remained great friends until she died."

"I didn't know that."

"Yeah. And the reason I'm telling you this is because I had the greatest example of what a happily married couple should look like and yet, I still found myself in relationships that I have no business being in to begin with. And then... you. I don't know why I feel_ so right_ about being with you. About us. But I do. Lindsey and I got married because it seemed like the right move after we'd been together for so long. It made our friends and family happen. Whatever the case was, it was wrong. _We_ were wrong. We both stayed together for the wrong reasons."

Faith put her hands in the pockets of her black, flare slacks. "Sure, you both were in the wrong but so was I. I was the one who pressured you into being more than just friends.'

"But I was the one-."

"Lemme finish," Faith interrupted. "You were right; I did know that I was going to have to share you, but I also knew that I was going to break up a marriage."

"Very confident."

Faith smiled. "What can I say? I'm charming."

Buffy scoffed. Faith laughed.

"But, seriously, B, even though I don't apologize often, I want you to know that I'm sorry for ruining what should have been your fairytale forever."

"My fairytale forever with Lindsey would have ended in one of two ways. Either I was going to be completely clueless about Lindsey and Lilah and have everyone else think that I was a blonde bimbo or I would have found out and lived a very bitter existence."

"How do you know that?"

"It's not for me to know. It's for me to accept what is and what I can change." Buffy told Faith. "I'm going to tell Lindsey about us before the divorce preceding. I don't want anything from him. Not the money, the loft... anything." Buffy said.

"That's noble."

"No. It's just moral. And I've definitely been lacking in that department lately." Buffy smiled.

"Well, maybe we should tell him together."

Buffy stopped. Faith stopped and turned to look at her.

"This is something that I have to do on my own." Buffy told her.

Faith searched Buffy's eyes and then nodded her head. "I can understand that."

"Thanks." Buffy shivered a little.

When they started walking again, Faith put her arm around Buffy's shoulders and Buffy gently grabbed ahold of Faith's thin hoodie.

"Let's get you inside before you catch a cold." Faith said.

_**Up Next: A trial would be unnecessary.**_


	23. Case Closed

_**A/N: There's a Law & Order: SVU character in this chapter. Can anyone spot him/her? A filler. (: Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 23: Case Closed**_

_One month later, September, Los Angeles Court House, 9:15am_

"We're here to discuss the final decision of the finances." Judge Liz Donnelly stated, scanning a sheet of paper. "I see, here, that there is no prenuptial agreement."

"That's correct, Your Honor." Buffy's lawyer answered.

"Your Honor, if I may?" Buffy offered.

"Proceed."

"Let him have everything. All of it."

"While that may be generous and very big of you, Mrs. McDonald-."

"Summers." Buffy corrected her. "Your Honor."

"Miss Summers," Donnelly repeated, "however, by California state law, you _are_ entitled to half."

"I really don't want it."

Judge Donnelly seemed to be taken aback. In all of her twenty years in the law profession, she'd never presided over a divorce battle where the wife didn't want money.

"The joint accounts are to be divided equally and Mr. McDonald will receive the majority of the assets and all estates. Court adjourned." She banged her gavel and left her chair before Buffy could protest.

"You didn't want anything and you walked away with nearly half a million dollars." Buffy's lawyer said.

Buffy gave her a forced smile as she turned towards Faith, who simply shrugged. It's not like Buffy needed the money. Her art gallery was doing wonderfully and she was nowhere near broke. Not to mention, her girlfriend was a millionaire who would never let Buffy go without.

* * *

_Mr. Chow, 5:33pm_

"Finally, you guys made it!" Xander exclaimed. Willow and Tara, holding hands, sat down in their seats around the family-sized dinner table at Mr. Chow. Faith, Buffy, Dawn and Spike were already seated.

"Sorry, we're late. Traffic was-." Willow fished for a word.

"Horrible." Tara quickly finished for her girlfriend.

Faith looked at Buffy, knowingly. "Riiiiiight." They said in unison.

"Shark fin soup?" Spike huffed. "That sounds disgusting."

"Would you prefer some fish and chips, then?" Xander asked in a faux, British accent.

"And a beer helmet for you, frat boy." Spike spat out.

"Ding, ding, ding! Back to your corners, you two." Faith intervened.

"So, Buffy, how was court?" Tara inquired.

"It went pretty good, actually. We were out of there in about fifteen minutes." Buffy answered.

"Can we order now? I'm starving." Dawn whined.

"Yes." Faith told her. She flagged down a waitress and explained that they were ready to order. One-by-one, they went around the table, reciting their dinner desires. Once all was said and done, the waitress promised them that their food would be out soon and stalked off.

An hour and a half later, the food was abundant and the drinks were flowing. Main courses were being shared and appetizers were sampled. While most of the group talked and laughed loudly and merrily, Buffy and Faith talked quietly; intimately. Unfortunately for them, Willow's P.I. senses were tingling. She noticed when Buffy would lean close to whisper something into Faith's ear. Or when Faith would put her hand on Buffy's leg to get her attention.

Though the rest of the Scooby gang seemed oblivious, Willow and Tara knew exactly what was going on. They'd experienced in during the beginning stages of their courtship as well. When Buffy's eyes widened at something that Faith was saying in her ear, Willow wished she would have taken those lip-reading classes.

"I just want to be inside of you." Faith had whispered.

Buffy's eyes widened and she smiled. "You can. Any time. Day or night."

She was a free woman, now. And there was absolutely nothing holding her back from making love to Faith whenever she wanted. She didn't have to worry about Lindsey texting or calling in the middle of it. Buffy was free to drown in Faith whenever she wanted. Literally and figuratively.

* * *

The next few weeks consisted of Buffy and Faith hunting for a new home. Buffy wanted a new house; someplace close to work but far from the city life. She liked the idea of peace and quiet. Though the couple hadn't talked about finding a place together, it was on both of their minds. Still, before they could decide what they wanted do, Faith and Buffy had to 'come out' to their friends.

Buffy had never kept a secret from Willow and she was worried about how her redhead best friend would react. They'd been friends since Buffy was sixteen. Now, here, they were, almost thirty-one and they had remained close. Every part of Buffy wanted to let Willow in but she knew that it had to be done right.

"So, what do we think?" Sandra asked.

Sandra Walker was the most renowned real estate agent that the West Coast had ever seen. Naturally, Faith decided that because Buffy deserved the best, Sandra was the only person capable enough to help in the search for the perfect home.

Sandra was every bit of a professional, however, it was extremely lucid that she was a surburban house mother. No doubt her kids probably went to a private school that boasted the best education for a mere fifty-thousand dollars a year. Buffy went so far as to speculate that Sandra handed her husband his coffee, kissed him goodbye and watched him pull out of their cul-de-sac in a 2012 Mercedes-Benz.

"We think it's amazing, but, I'm not sure if it's what we're looking for. It seems a bit... too big."

"Not to worry, I've got a list of the top seven homes that I think would fit you perfectly. Buffy." Sandra explained. Her overly-peppy facade made Faith want to wring Sandra's little PTA-involved neck.

"That's great." Buffy said. "Maybe we could see those next week."

"Absolutely. Just give me a call and we'll set up a day."

"Sounds good. Thanks again, Sandra."

"Any time." Sandra headed out.

"Yeah, thanks, Sandra," Faith mumbled, "you annoying little-."

Buffy smacked Faith's arm and laughed. "Stop it. You were mean to her all day."

"I was not."

"Sandra, this bathroom is too 'vintage'. I like modern. Sandra, this kitchen is too stainless steel. I like marble. Sandra this pool is too round. I like my pools to be... odd-shaped." Buffy mocked Faith. "What the hell was that?"

Faith chuckled and scratched her cheek. "What can I say, I know what I like."

"You were giving her a hard time on purpose."

Faith simply shrugged. "You say tomato."

"Oh, shut up." Buffy said. She headed out of the empty house towards her Range Rover. Faith shut the door behind her and followed the bouncing blonde ponytail to the car.

_**Up Next: I hear history is a repeat offender.**_


	24. History Repeats Itself

_**Chapter 24: History Repeats Itself**_

_Flasback (9 years and 9 months ago, 2003), Albany, New York, 1:44am_

_"That concert was absolutely sick!" Faith exclaimed. Spike nodded in the passenger seat._

_"Hell yeah. And that's gonna be me up there one day." Spike added, nostalgically._

_"Damn right, bro!"_

_The two friends had just come back from a Creed concert. They'd bought their tickets a month in advance and decided to make a night of it. Faith had just sold her first series of paintings and Spike's band was doing well on the nightclub circuit. _

_Spike plugged up his phone to the car's stereo system and the two carried on their conversation over the base of some hot, new tracks. When Faith made the right into her quiet neighborhood, she turned the music down so as to not disturb the neighbors._

_"It's too early to call it a night. What say we go get a drink?" Spike suggested._

_"Sure. Just lemme run into the house and change my shirt." Faith told him as she pulled into the driveway of her mother's house._

_Faith and Spike hopped out of the car and headed into the house. They were met by a very upset Kennedy._

_"Where the hell have you been?" Kennedy asked, jumping up from the couch._

_"The _Creed _concert." Faith answered._

_"Why didn't you answer your phone? I must have called sixty times."_

_"It's dead, Ken. What's wrong?"_

_"You need to sit down. There's something I need to tell you two." _

_Faith's eyebrows furrowed, but she didn't sit down. "No. Tell me. What's going on?"_

_"I got a call about two hours ago. It's your mom." Kennedy began. "She was shot tonight."_

_"What?!" Faith's exclamation was whispered._

_"She died, half an hour ago."_

_All of the air had suddenly left Faith's lungs. When she tried to take deep breaths to calm herself, she fainted. Spike quickly caught Faith before she hit the wooden floor._

_End of flashback_

* * *

_Present day, Los Angeles, 1:52am_

"Wiz Khalifa was on point tonight!" Faith shouted in the car, followed by her laughter. "I can't believe you were able to get us tickets. It's been sold out for months."

"Yeah, well, a man of many talents, I am." Spike bragged.

"Oh, please." Faith commented with a roll of her eyes.

"I had fun tonight. We haven't hung out together in a long time, you and me." Spike told her.

"That's true." She glanced at her friend before returning her eyes to the road. "I'm sorry that I've gotten caught up with Buffy and whatnot."

"It happens." Spike said, shrugging.

Faith put her fist up and Spike bumped it with his. Their comradery had always been easy-going and fun. Even when they disagreed, they found ways to come together for the sake of their friendship.

"This is my song!" Faith exclaimed. As they stopped at a red light, Faith cranked up the radio and the two sang loudly along to Elle Varner.

As the red light turned green, Faith eased her foot onto the gas and started into the intersection. Without a second to process what was happening, a huge, black pick-up truck flew into passenger's side of Buffy's borrowed Range Rover. The truck tailspun until it landed on its side nearly fifty yards away.

The next thing Faith knew, all of the blood was rushing to her head as she found herself upside down. Shattered glass and blood filled the car and the radio sparked. She coughed up blood and she felt as if someone had kicked her in the stomach.

"Spike? Spike are you okay?" Faith asked. She glanced over to see Spike's body mangled in his seat. "Spike? Spike! Come on, wake up!"

She cut her seatbelt with a shard of broken glass from the windshield and shimmied her way out of the window. Her right ankle and knee were on fire but she managed to limp around to the passenger side. Kneeling down, she put her arms under Spike's and pulled his dead weight as far as her body could from the wreckage.

"Miss? Miss! Are you okay? Is your friend okay?! 9-1-1 are on their way." Faith heard a passerby yell before she passed out.

* * *

_Good Samaritan ER, 2:15am_

Faith had finally awaken and was able to give a quick statement to the police. She was told that the driver of the Ford pick-up had fallen asleep at the wheel after working for twenty-three straight hours. When Faith asked about Spike, a nurse told her that doctors were doing everything that they possibly could. In the meantime, Faith was wheeled, on a stretcher, to a hospital room where a doctor would have to set her knee and ankle which were, undoubtedly, broken.

Two hours later, a doctor entered Faith's room, where she sat biting her lip and worrying.

"Miss Lehane, I'm Dr. Christian Keyes. We were able to find your partner at home. She's just outside." Dr. Keyes stated. "First, I'd like to know how are you feeling?"

"I feel okay. My head is killing me and my leg hurts."

"Well, I can give you something for that. I'm also going to prescribe a painkiller for you. I just received your MRI scans and it seems that everything is fine. No internal bleeding, fractures or breaks, except your knee and ankle."

"Anything else?"

"Just that you'll need to make sure to keep your cast dry when you bathe."

"And my friend? William?"

"He's in a coma right now. We have him on a breathing and feeding tube. His lungs seemed to take the brunt of the ordeal. It's touch and go at this point but we have high hopes that he'll awaken soon."

Faith nodded. "Can I see her now?"

"Of course."

Dr. Keyes handed Faith a slip of paper with a prescription on it before heading out. Buffy nearly ran into the room and to Faith's bed.

"Oh, god. Look at you." Buffy whispered, shocked.

"It's mostly Spike's." Faith said, referring to the caked up blood that was stuck in her hair and face.

"How is he?"

"Coma." Faith said. Tears welled in her eyes and she looked away from Buffy. She didn't want her girlfriend to see her cry.

"Look at me." Buffy demanded. Faith complied after wiping her eyes subtly. "He's going to be okay. Spike's strong. I know he'll pull through."

"It's my fault."

"No it's not. It's no one's fault."

Buffy stayed by Faith's side until she fell asleep. Then, the blonde stood up and headed towards Spike's room. He lay there, unconscious, with a breathing tube stuck in his mouth. Monitors beeped constantly. The silence was deafening. Sitting by his bed, Buffy took his hand. That's where she sat for the next forty-five minutes, quietly. She tried to find the right words, but nothing seemed right.

Finally, before she left, Buffy spoke to him.

"Wake up soon, Spike. We need you. Faith needs you." Buffy told him. She kissed his forehead and headed out.

_**Up Next: Surpriiiiiiiise!**_

_**End of Part II.**_


	25. Part 3 - The Wrong Path Again

_**A/N: Ladies, ladies, ladies and gentlemen, give yourselves a round of applause for making it through Part II. And now, may I present to you (drum rolls) ... Part III! The third and final part of 'The Artist in 4C'. Hehe. **_

_**This chapter is dedicated to Jay, who always gives me amazing reviews/feedback, but always reviews as a guest so I can never reply about how AWESOME you are! (;**_

_**Enjoy! (:**_

_**Part III**_

_**Chapter 25: The Wrong Path... Again**_

_Flashback (9 years ago), Lucky's Bar, Albany, New York, 6:39pm_

_Sad, cowboy music. Glasses clinking against the polished wood-topped counter of the bar. Heads sunken deeply into their glasses; willing to drown in their own sorrows. No one looked up when the heavy, metal door opened and then slammed shut. Spike walked to the end of the bar where his best friend sat. He nodded his head at the bartender._

_"Thanks, Lucky." He said._

_With her head in her hands, eyes red and swollen from crying, a drunken Faith sighed heavily. Her leather jacket felt a restraint and her T-shirt felt as if it were choking her. _

_"What do you want, Spike?" Faith asked. Her voice was nasal, stuffy from crying._

_"I've come to get you."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because you're cut off. Lucky called me. Said you've been here drowning in your sorrows for the past four hours."_

_"Lucky's a douche." _

_Spike chuckled. "Sometimes." His turned serious again. "We need to get you out of here. Your mum wouldn't want this."_

_"Well, we don't know what she would want, now do we?" Faith said. She knocked back the rest of her whiskey and slammed the glass back onto the bar. "She's dead."_

_"Faith, your mum was like the mum I never had. We just buried her less than six hours ago."_

_"I know, Spike! I know!" Faith pushed her wild hair back again and sniffled. "Thirteen."_

_"What?"_

_"Thirteen people showed up for my mother's funeral. Out of the dozens of people my mother helped turn their lives around, only thirteen people showed their fucking faces."_

_Spike sighed and put his hand on Faith's shoulder. "Do you really think she would care?"_

_"I care! I needed to know that my mom was the kind of person that I always thought she was. She wasn't rich because she never focused on money, but she invested in people. And most of them never even showed their face."_

_"Come on. Let's get you home."_

_Spike threw a few bills onto the bar and helped his shorter friend hop off of the cracked leather bar stool. He put his arm on her waist and she stumbled to the door with his help._

_"Lucky, you're a snitch." Faith singsonged to the bartender. Lucky laughed heartily. _

_"Get home safe, Tiny Terror." Lucky yelled after her._

_End of flashback_

_Present Day, Venice Beach estate, 3 weeks after Spike's accident, 4:31pm_

Ice cubes clinked in the crystal glass, as Faith drank her burbon. She sniffled again and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Her back was against the sliding door of her closet. In front of her sat hundreds of envelopes and notes, in various colors, that she'd dumped from the shoeboxes that they'd sat in for years.

"Faith?" Buffy's voice was soft and calm. "What are you doing?"

"'I'm so sorry to hear about your mother. Just know that wherever she is, she's looking down on you and you've got family wherever you go in this world. Love and condolences from Paris. Signed, Jacqueline LaRoux'." Faith recited from the card she was reading. She dropped it and picked up another. "'Your mother was an inspiration to so many people. Especially to me. You are welcome in my home in _Espana_ any time. Signed, Marisol Menendez'."

Buffy sat down, Native American-style, next to Faith. Her hand grazed over a few of the different colored papers, spreading some, only to find others. "What _are_ all of these?"

"Condolences. From my mother's funeral." Faith said, pouring herself another glass of burbon. "Only thirteen people showed up to pay their respects but these-."

"All came from people who couldn't attend."

Faith breathed out harshly as the liquor ran down her throat. She nodded. "Yep."

"Ivory Coast, Barcelona, Rio, Berlin, South Korea. Jesus, they're from all over." Buffy whispered.

"Yeah."

"What did your mom do?"

"My mom was in a few bad relationships. So, when she turned her life around, got back on her feet and all, she became a counselor for women who were abused."

"By their spouses?"

"Spouses, parents, priests, whomever."

"Wow. She traveled a lot, I assume."

"Sometimes." Faith answered. "Some days I didn't know if we were coming or going."

"What brought on this case of nostalgia?" Buffy asked, smiling at her girlfriend.

"If Spike dies-."

"Stop it!" Buffy cut her off. "Don't talk like that."

Faith gulped back the rest of her alcohol. Buffy lifted the bottle by its neck.

"Faith," Buffy rubbed her temple, "this bottle is half-empty."

"Or is it half-full?"

"This isn't a joke. You have a problem."

"So help me."

"I asked if you wanted to go to AA meetings. And you said 'maybe'."

"So, I'll go."

Buffy's eyebrows furrowed. She flashed back to the story Faith told her about the night that Kennedy left Faith.

Buffy licked her bottom lip and took Faith's hands into her own. "Listen to me, Faith. I can _not_ go back and forth with you. I will only give you _one_ chance to sober up. I am _not _Kennedy." Buffy told her.

"That's for sure." Faith said.

Unsure of what to make of Faith's comment, Buffy let go of Faith's hands, stood up and walked out of the room.

_**Up Next: Buffy finds a new house. An old friend visits Faith.**_


	26. Hello, Again

_**Chapter 26: Hello, Again**_

Buffy's nude, red-botton Louboutin pumps clicked and clacked away on the marble floor and echoed off of the walls as she made her way down the hallway of the empty house.

"Sandra, this place is perfect. I love it."

"Really? Are you ready to place an offer or do you need a little more time?" Sandra asked.

"Both. I'm ready to buy this place flat out but I'd have to talk it over with Faith before it goes any further. I mean, after all, if we're both living here, she'd have to love it too."

"Say no more, Buffy. I totally understand. We can arrange for her to come see the house tomorrow if that's possible."

"Definitely. I'll see what her schedule is looking like and get back to you."

"All righty, then." Sandra shook Buffy's hand, furiously before the two left the house and walked to their separate cars.

When Buffy arrived home to the beach house, she dropped her bag on the steps by the door as she always did. She found Faith in the living room on the phone.

"All right, well then I'll see you then... Okay. Bye." Hanging up, she looked at Buffy with a raised eyebrow. "What's her name?"

"Who?"

"The girl who you got all hot for." Faith smirked.

Buffy looked down at her outfit. She didn't think it was that sexy. The nude-colored bandage dress was paired with fitted blazer of the same color.

"This old thing?" Buffy asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Real cute."

"I have news."

"Get naked." Faith commanded.

"Will you listen to my good news if I do?"

Biting her bottom lip, Faith slid down further on the couch, getting more comfortable. She tossed her phone down on the other side of the sofa and nodded her head. Buffy shook her head, rolled her eyes and took her blazer off.

While Faith looked at her like she was a piece of meat, Buffy slid the side zipper of her dress down.

"I found the perfect house. And I want you to see it."

Slipping out of the dress, Buffy stood in front of Faith in nothing but her pumps.

_Deja vu much?_

"Okay." Faith said. She grabbed Buffy's hand and pulled her down. With a leg on either side of Faith's waist, the petite blonde beauty had all the power. She heard Faith inhale deeply through her nose.

Faith put both of her hands on either of Buffy's thighs and inched them upwards until her thumbs were pressing against Buffy's wetness. Buffy let out a soft, breathy moan while Faith massaged her core, teasingly. Then, almost as a warning of what was to come, Faith snaked her left arm around Buffy's waist and then slipped her two fingers deep into her girlfriend.

"Fuck." Buffy whispered. One hand gripped the back of the sofa while the other gripped Faith's hair.

"You were saying?" Faith said, nonchalantly.

"Just shut up and fuck me." Buffy told her.

_30 minutes later..._

"So, will you go and see the house with me tomorrow?" Buffy asked, post-coital. Faith had covered her naked body with the throw blanket from the back of the sofa.

"I can't. I have a meeting tomorrow." Faith told her. "But the day after tomorrow, I'm completely free."

"Okay." Buffy agreed. She put her face into Faith's neck and relaxed.

_Thursday, Night + Market Thai Restaurant, West Hollywood, 2:55pm_

"Hey, sugar. Lookin for a date?" A familiar voice muttered in Faith's ear. Faith smirked and turned to see Kennedy behind her. She stood up and embraced Kennedy tightly.

"It's so good to see you." Kennedy said, squeezing Faith back.

"It's good to see you too."

Sitting down, Kennedy and Faith just stared at each other for a little while. Before Kennedy broke the silence.

"How have you been? What on Earth have you been up to?"

"I'm good. Great, actually. I'm painting like crazy. So much inspiration."

"If I recall, you used to say that inspiration is everywhere, but I have the feeling that there's a woman involved."

Faith smiled broadly. "There is. There is."

"Tell me about her." Kennedy said. "Better yet, let's go to dinner tomorrow night. My wife and I and you and your girlfriend."

"I don't know. I'll see what she says." Faith admitted. "How are Jo and Harlow by the way?"

"Jo's great she just got a promotion at work. And, oh my gosh, will you believe that Harlow's starting the second grade this September?"

"That's crazy. That makes me feel old. I'm happy that everyone's doing good."

Kennedy and her family were in town from New York for a couple of weeks before her daughter went back to school. Faith had learned, however, that throughout the week, Kennedy and Jo would be house hunting. They were looking for a change of scenery and Los Angeles seemed like the perfect place. Kennedy found out about Faith's secret superstardom, but didn't seemed very shocked.

"I knew you had it in you." Had been her words.

The next hour and a half consisted of Faith and Kennedy picking at a small lunch. It had been eight years since the two had spoken, except for the congratulatory note that Kennedy sent along with a bouquet of lilies when Faith sold her new and most famous series of art. Faith had always spent countless nights wondering if she and Kennedy would even have anything to say to one another after so much time. Yet, here they were, eight years later, chatting as old friends do.

"Allow me." Kennedy said as the waitress placed their bill on the table once they were finished eating.

"No, no. I've got it. It's the least I can do." Faith smiled and took the slip of paper from Kennedy's hands.

"Please convince Buffy to do dinner. I'd love to meet her."

"I'll definitely try." Faith told her.

_But first, I have to drop the bomb that you're in town_, Faith thought to herself. She slipped a fifty-dollar bill into the small, leather binder and sat it in the middle of the table. Kennedy stood up first.

"Well, it was wonderful seeing you. We'll have to do this again before we head back to the city."

"We will. I promise."

Embracing again, Kennedy let go of the residual heartbreaking feelings that had been left over from their breakup. Faith, finding the closure that she'd waited eight years for, kissed Kennedy's cheek and headed out of the restaurant.

_Venice Beach estate, 8:45pm_

"Hey you." Buffy said, looking up from her book. She had been curled up on the couch, awaiting her lover's arrival.

"Hey."

Buffy tilted her wrist to glance at her watch. "It's late."

"I went to sit with Spike after lunch. Then I went and sat out on the beach to think for awhile. Next thing I know, I'm freezing and can barely make out my own hand." She grunted and sighed as if she were overweight as she sat down next to Buffy. The blonde leaned her body against Faith's.

"What's wrong? Is it Spike? Is he okay?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, he's alright. Still stable."

Buffy put her hand on her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "So, then what has you so deep in thought?"

Faith took a deep breath and put her arm on the back of the couch, behind Buffy's head.

"You remember I told you about that lunch meeting?"

"Yeah. How was it?"

"It was... with Kennedy."

Buffy's short inhale through her nose went unnoticed by Faith. "Oh... oh, uh, I didn't know she was in town."

"Yeah. She is. And we just met to catch up. It's been nearly a decade since I've seen her last."

"Well, how did it go?"

"Do you hate me?" Faith asked at the same time.

Buffy smiled and reached up to touch Faith's face. Faith's body tensed a bit, afraid that Buffy was about to slap her. She relaxed when Buffy stroked her cheek with the back of her hand.

"Of course I don't hate you."

"She wants to meet you."

"Why?"

"I don't know. She just proposed that we have dinner tomorrow night. You, me, Kennedy, and Jo."

"Who the hell is Jo?"

"Her wife."

Buffy nodded her head, understanding. "Uh, well, do you want to go?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. It's really up to you. I told her you had to be totally comfortable with the situation."

Buffy sat quietly for a few moments. The pros and cons weighed on her mind's scale. Still, Buffy trusted Faith; if Faith said she no longer had feelings for Kennedy, then Buffy would take the initiative to believe her. After all, what was a relationship without trust?

"Okay." Buffy said after awhile.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Sure, let's do it. I'll make reservations at Mr. Chow for tomorrow evening." Buffy offered.

Without answering, Faith pulled Buffy into a tight embrace, kissing the top of her head.

"You're the best, baby." Faith stood up, kissed Buffy's forehead and pulled out her phone as she walked out of the living room.

"I know." Buffy smiled and picked her book back open, picking up where she left off.

_**Up Next: Dinner With Kennedy and Lou. And news about Spike!**_


	27. First Impressions

_**A/N: The song in this chapter is called "Adorn" by Miguel. I wanted to find a song that sort of foreshadowed Faith and Buffy's future connection. (: I recommend you listen to it while reading for a greater feel. Enjoy! (:**_

_**Chapter 27: First Impressions**_

_Friday, 4:43am, Venice Beach estate_

Faith's iPhone chimed with an especially loud, R&B ringtone and it had no plans of stopping. Buffy reached over a still-sleeping Faith and grabbed it off of the nightstand.

"Hello?" She answered, groggily. "Unh huh. Just a moment."

Buffy gently pushed Faith, urging her awake. "Wake up, babe. It's about Spike. His doctor is on the phone."

With her head still in the pillow, Faith blindly put her arm out, searching for the phone. Buffy slipped it into her palm and Faith put it against her ear.

"Hello? Yes. Mhm." Suddenly, Faith sat up. "What?!"

* * *

_Good Samaritan Hospital, 5:22am_

"Spike!" Faith exclaimed, running into his room.

"Pipe down, birdie. I can hear just fine." Spike said, smiling slowly.

Faith hopped into the small hospital bed, lying down next to him. "Spike."

"Don't tell me you were worried about me?"

"No!" Faith told him, voice cracking. Spike smiled, knowingly, and wrapped his arm around Faith, rubbing her hair.

"You shouldn't have been. I'm a champ, y'know."

"I know." Faith sniffled. She leaned her head back to look up at her best friend. "I'm going to get you a live-in nurse and the best physical therapists and whatever else you need."

"Slow down, luv. Who's to say I'll need all of those things?" Spike paused, then added, "Although, a live-in nurse might help a lot."

Faith smirked. "I'm sure it would, perv."

"So, what'd I miss?"

"Kennedy's in town. She wants to meet Buffy. And we're all having dinner tonight."

"Well, then, that's lovely, innit?"

"Shut up." Faith grinned, wiping a tear away before it fell.

"What else?"

Faith sighed. "Buffy wants me to go to AA."

"Ah, and what say you?"

"I want to. For her. For me."

"Good. That's settled then." Spike smiled.

* * *

_Mr. Chow, 8:33pm_

With blonde hair wrapped in an elegant chignon and a black Dolce and Gabana bandage dress with the matching blazer, Buffy sat back in the chair with her Blackberry in hand. She glanced up at Faith who had been staring at her for the past fifteen minutes. Smirking, Buffy winked at her with dark, smoky eyes before sending an email and placing her phone on the table.

"She's late." Buffy said.

"Stop it." Faith grinned.

No matter how hard Buffy tried to put on a front, Faith could tell that the blonde was going to find even the smallest thing about Kennedy to nitpick about. From the moment that Buffy slipped into those black, badass Christian Louboutin pumps, Faith realized she was in bitch mode; someting that would normally turn Faith on. The brunette was amused by Buffy's attitude. Just like any other woman on the planet, Buffy held the tiniest amount of insecurity about meeting her girlfriend's ex.

"Faith?" Kennedy ducked her head and smiled. "Hey."

"Kennedy, hey." Faith stood up and embraced her. When they separated, Faith turned to Buffy. "This is my girlfriend, Buffy Summers."

"It's so nice to meet you." She said, putting her hand out. Buffy shook it politely.

"Likewise."

"Where's Lou?"

"Right here." Lou interrupted. Her English accent was subtle but there was no denying that it was there. Faith recalled that Lou had moved to the United States from London, England when she was just a teenager. "You must be Faith. It's so lovely to meet you."

Introductions and forced pleansantries (mostly on Buffy's end) were completed and dinner was ordered.

"So, Buffy, how did meet Faith?" Lou asked.

"She stalked me." Faith joked.

Buffy playfully smacked Faith's arm. "I did not. I saw her in the elevator of our loft building but she didn't see me."

"And then I almost knocked her down with a canvas."

_Flashback (August 2, one year ago), Los Angeles, 9:55am_

_Buffy locked her door and walked down the hallway to the elevator. Normally, she'd take the stairs but this particular day, she was carrying a few art supplies, her laptop case and a handbag. The elevator was the safest bet. Hitting the down button, the blonde waited for her iron chariot._

Ding!

_Buffy stepped onto the elevator and pressed the number '1'. Next to her, a gorgeous, young, hipster, brunette stood, earbuds blasting. She was engrossed in her iPhone, not paying Buffy any attention. In the small elevator, Buffy and Faith were so close that their shoulders were nearly touching and the blonde could hear the music coming from the brunette's ears._

These lips can't wait to taste your skin

Baby, nooo

And these eyes, yeah, can't wait to see your grin, ooh ooh baby

Just let my love

Just let my love adorn you

Please, baby, yeah

You gotta know

You gotta know

You that I adore you

Baby these fists, uh, will always protect ya... Lady

And this mind, oohh, will never neglect you, yeah baby

And if they try to break us down

Don't let that effect us

_Just as Buffy was falling in love with the song, (and no doubt, the brunette), the elevator dinged, signaling their arrival in the lobby. The door opened and Buffy shot one last glance at the exotic woman standing next to her, who was still texting, before heading out of the doors._

_End of flashback_

"It's a wonder she didn't notice someone as beautiful as you." Kennedy chuckled. There was a hint of bitterness in her tone. "That was never a problem for Faith."

Faith raised an eyebrow at Kennedy. "Inspiration is everywhere." She countered.

"Ahh, dinner is served." Lou exclaimed, happy for the interruption. Things were clearly going to get heated; especially with the bottles of wine and champagne that they'd ordered to wash dinner down with.

"Do you two live together?" Kennedy asked.

Faith looked at Buffy for an answer. It was still a subject that they hadn't talked about.

"Right now, we're living at Faith's house in Venice beach while looking for a house together."

"That's wonderful. I hear the hunt for a great house in Los Angeles is brutal."

"It is torture, but we've got a great real estate agent and I think we've found the perfect house."

"Oh? Where?"

"Canyon Road. Can you believe we found a six bedroom, six bathroom, for only two point six million in Los Angeles?" Buffy gushed.

"That is impressive. I'm jealous." Kennedy laughed. "We can't find one that size for less than four."

"Well, then, I'll just have to pimp out my realtor, now won't I?" Buffy grinned, picking up her glass of red wine.

"I'll never forgive you if you don't."

Faith and Lou looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

_Were Buffy and Kennedy actually... bonding?_

With good food and good wine in their systems, and good conversation lingering in the air, the couples finally decided that it was time to go. Goodbye hugs (or waves, in Buffy's case) were given and they departed in pairs.

* * *

_Venice Beach estate, 11:45pm_

Tipping the town car driver, Faith helped a semi-drunk Buffy out of the car and into the house.

In bed, Faith spooned Buffy and inhaled the traces of her sweet perfume. "So, you and Kennedy seemed to take a liking to each other."

"I hate her. And she hates me." Buffy breathed out, pulling the covers tighter around her.

Faith smirked. "So, that was all an act."

Buffy gave a slight chuckle. "Oh, baby, do _you _have a lot to learn about women."

_**Up Next: Move-In Day. Spike's indescretion. Thanksgiving Dinner. And the coming out.**_


	28. These Cherished Moments

_**A/N: Okay, first, let me apologize for giving you guys the wrong "Up Next" teaser. I was looking at my notebook wrong. Forgive me? (innocent smile). Anyways, this chapter is still pretty awesome (I hope). Second, this chapter isn't edited. I just wrote it in thirty minutes and threw it up here, so you guys wouldn't kill me. Next, there's going to be a slight delay in chapters this week. I probably won't post again until about Thursday. I'll be away where there's no internet.**_

_**Also, to those that asked about my well-being after Hurricane Sandy: I appreciate the love and concerns. Fortunately, my home was not affected, however, I do ask that you guys send a small prayer to the Universe (or your God, if you're religious) for those who have lost their homes and belongings, and even some loved ones, in this natural disaster. **_

_**With that being said, here's chapter 28. Enjoy, my lovers.**_

_**Chapter 28: These Cherished Moments**_

_November, Saturday, 7:59pm, Los Angeles_

"That's the last one." Faith stated. Rocking out in a gray hipster beanie hat that covered her hair, sweatpants, a hoodie and blazer, and sneakers, the brunette sat the final painting on the floor of their new, fully furnished home.

It had taken them all day, but Buffy insisted that the new house be completed done before Thanksgiving. With only five days until the big holiday, Faith called in a few favors from an interior decorator, who also happened to be a friend, to get the house ready. After painting, adding furniture and other knickknacks, move-in day was a complete success.

Finally, Faith was allowed to add the artwork throughout the house. Faith made two of the downstairs bedrooms into two separate offices. The first for Buffy, in which she hung the portrait of Buffy that she'd painted while vacationing in Greece. The second office, she made her own, and hung up the canvas that Buffy had painted during her good versus evil struggle.

"Tea?" Buffy asked when walked into Faith's office with a mug of tea in her hands.

"Vodka."

"Faith." Buffy's tone was warning as she looked around the large room.

"Kidding." The brunette answered, while she sifted through a few papers on her polished, mahogany desk.

While Buffy took a look at the hundreds of books on shelves that lined the walls, Faith sat down in her leather, wing-backed swivel chair and spun, childishly.

"Speaking of AA," Buffy began.

"Worst segue ever." Faith commented, still spinning. She stopped and tapped her desk, grinning at her girlfriend's back.

Buffy turned around from the bookshelves, sipping on her tea. She raised an eyebrow at Faith. It was clear that she was waiting for an answer.

Faith sighed. "I've been looking into some that meet in LA."

"Really?" Buffy asked.

Faith reached in front of her and opened up her Macbook. Without pressing any buttons, she turned the laptop around to allow Buffy to view her screen. The HD screen showed a webpage for programs at a local community center. Faith looked at Buffy's face. She could tell that the blonde was impressed and relieved. She cleared her throat and sat back in her chair with a smug grin on her face.

Buffy sat her tea down on Faith's desk. "You're so hot when you-."

"Follow your orders?" Faith cocked an eyebrow and tapped her hands on the arms of the chair.

"That actually sounds kinky." Buffy commented, walking around the desk to stand in front of Faith.

"Oh yeah?" Faith inquired, putting her hands on Buffy's waist. "Sound like a good time?"

Buffy giggled.

_Tuesday, Galleria, 7:45pm_

"Buffy, how on Earth did you get Michelle Albany to give you the rights to her new artwork? Everything is beautiful." Bridgette Blake asked.

"I honestly have no idea. I suppose she heard what happened to my last gallery and took pity on me." Buffy smirked.

"Ahh. Again, I'm sorry about what happened. Did they ever catch the person?" Bridgette nodded her head and sipped her champagne.

"They did. And thanks for the flowers, Bridgette." Buffy told her, politely. She excused herself and made her way throughout the gallery.

Faith had finally finished her new series of artwork. And Buffy had been her muse.

_Flashback (1 week ago), Venice Beach estate, 8:00pm_

_"Babe, where are you?" Faith yelled through the house._

_"Kitchen!" Buffy replied._

_Wordlessly, and with a grin, Faith entered the kitchen, turned the water off, handed Buffy the dish towel and pulled her out of the room. They walked down the stairs to Faith's studio, with Faith's hands over Buffy's eyes._

_"What's going on?" Buffy chuckled._

_"You'll see." Once they were directly in front of Faith's work, she slowly took her hands away from Buffy's eyes._

_"It's complete." Faith stated._

_Buffy's jaw dropped. The series consisted of ten new pieces, five of which connected together to make one large, watercolor painting of coral-colored ambrosia flowers. The sixth was a painted woman with blonde hair covering her entire face except for her green eyes. Piece number eight consisted of two hands, each grasping the wrist of the other. On one arm was a watch that resembled Buffy's gold Cartier watch and the other held Faith's gold watch, thin gold bracelet and three black friendship bracelets. _

_Number nine was an abstract painting that resembled two figures picking up pieces off of the floor. It was entitled "Help". Turning the the final piece, Buffy smirked. It was the simple, but perfect. With an all black canvas, the word "amBrosia' was written in white, broken cursive with the only letter that was capitalized was the letter 'B' and painted with a coral color._

_Buffy turned back around and jumped on Faith, wrapping her legs around Faith's waist._

_"What's the series called?"_

_"Ambrosia: Love Returned." _

_"Why?"_

_"Reciprocated love is the meaning behind the ambrosia flower. Not to mention, ambrosia was the sustenance of the gods. It kept them immortal." Faith told Buffy. "To me, you're a goddess and I need you around forever."_

_Tears started falling down Buffy's eyes as she kissed Faith's lips over and over._

_End of flashback_

"Buffy, this is seriously some of the best work I've ever seen and I'm definitely not a huge art fan." Xander admitted.

"I know. It's pretty amazing." Buffy responded.

"How do you feel having your favorite artist letting her paintings basically live here? In your gallery?"

"I'm so excited. Her work brings in so much business." Buffy told her.

_Venice Beach estate, 11:22pm_

Buffy walked into the bedroom, stepping out of her shoes. She took off of her dress and slipped a silk nightie over her head. Climbing into bed, Faith took her thin-framed glasses and looked up from her Macbook.

"You know, I always see you working on your computer but I never know what you're working on."

"You never ask."

"I'm asking now."

"I'm writing a book."

Buffy's face was of total shock. "Really?"

"No bullshit."

"What's it about?"

"You can read it when I'm finished."

"When will you be finished?"

Faith smirked and closed her laptop. "You ask a lot of questions."

"I like information." Buffy removed the laptop and replaced it with herself. Straddling Faith's waist, Buffy took one of her girlfriend's hands and put it on her face. Faith caressed Buffy's face.

"How did the show go?" Faith asked, changing the subject.

"People loved your work. As usual. Sold two."

"So, you're telling me that I'm still rich?"

Buffy rolled her eyes but smiled. "Yes, baby, you're still rich."

"Then that's all I need to know."

"You don't strike me as the type of person who cares about money."

"Lion's gotta eat."

"Meow." Buffy said, seductively.

"I want to tell everyone about us at Thanksgiving dinner. In our new home." Buffy whispered.

"Really?"

Buffy nodded and gave Faith a cheeky smile.

"Come here, you." Faith laughed and she rolled them over so she was on top of Buffy. Buffy squealed in laughter.

_**Up Next: Thanksgiving dinner. The coming out.**_


	29. Having Faith

_**Welp, I'm baaaacccckkk! And so is "The Artist in 4C". Six chapters left (including this one) and I couldn't have been more pleased with you guys and your dope feedback. I just want to say thanks for sticking with this story. I really appreciate it and I really appreciate you guys. **_

_**Also, I have a high regard for people who attempt to regain control of their lives. With that being said, I hope the following chapter does not offend anyone who has attended or is currently attending AA, NA, SA, or anything other support groups for the betterment of their person. **_

_**Chapter 29: Having Faith **_

Thanksgiving Day, 7:20pm

_Ting! Ting! Ting!_

Buffy tapped her fork against her wine glass and the excited chatter of holiday spirits hushed. She cleared her throat and stood up, clutching her wine glass.

"Well, guys, it's Thanksgiving again; a time in which we're supposed to reflect on the things that we're thankful for. It's a time for family and friends. I just want to say that I'm thankful for all of you, for my life, happiness and health." Buffy looked at Faith across the table and smiled. "There's something that I want to tell you guys."

"Oh god, you're not pregnant are you?" Dawn asked.

"Dawn!" A chorus of voices yelled.

"Sorry. Sorry. Go on."

"You all know that Faith, Spike and I have moved into this new place together. Well, Faith and I are in a relationship. A serious relationship."

"Buffy?" Xander said.

"What?"

"Sit down." Xander laughed. "That's not a secret."

"Wha-?"

"Yeah, Buffy. It's obvious that you two have been humping like bunnies on crystal meth." Anya commented.

Buffy sat back down in her seat. Faith simply smirked.

"So... you all... you all knew?" Buffy inquired.

"We all have pretty good gaydars." Tara spoke up.

"Why didn't anyone say anything?"

"Why didn't you?" Willow asked.

"Touche."

"Can someone pass the potatoes?" Faith asked, nonchalantly.

"Say please." Dawn reminded her.

"Pleeaaseee." Faith begged.

"So... we're all just gonna go back to eating? I just dropped a huge bomb on you guys. I'm a lesbian!" Buffy exclaimed.

"It's not all about you, B." Faith joked, winking at her stunned girlfriend.

_Sunday, 3:39pm, Lehane-Summers-Pratt Residence_

Faith entered the house through the garage door after parking her car. Her soundtrack? A woman's moans filling the hallway as she headed up the stairs towards her and Buffy's room. The noises of pleasure got louder and louder as she approached Spike's room. Opening the door just a crack, Faith saw the back of Spike's blonde nurse, Harmony. With her head thrown back, her golden curls bopped up and down as she rode him, hard. Faith's eyes widened as she shut the door back quickly.

She chuckled to herself as she continued down the hall.

"That's my boy."

_Tuesday, 12:22pm, Abby Penn Community Center_

With Buffy's face in her mind and a burst of courage, Faith walked up the steps into the community rec center. She followed the directions she'd been given to a small room near the gymnasium. In the center of the room were about twenty chairs in a circle. Scattered around were a dozen people; some spoke with others, while the rest helped themselves to coffee and stale doughnuts.

"Hi, I'm Aubree." A beautiful, cocoa-skinned girl said, holding her hand out to Faith. She looked no older than twenty-one.

"Faith." The brunette responded, shaking it.

"Nice to meet you, Faith. Voluntary or court-ordered?"

"Voluntary."

"Lucky you."

Faith snorted.

"Is this your first time in AA?"

"Second. And last."

"Good for you. Come on," Aubree stated, linking her arm with Faith's, "sit next to me."

"Alright, everyone, we'll be starting in five minutes." A thin, nerdy guy announced to the room.

"That's Sean. He's the coordinator of the group," explained Aubree. Faith nodded in understanding. She and Aubree sat in two spare chairs while others started to fill in the empty spaces.

Once everyone was settled and quiet, Sean sat down and spoke first. "Hello, everyone. I'm Sean, the coordinator and a sponsor of this branch of AA. I'm glad to see you are all here on your journey to complete freedom from the consequences of alcohol. We have a couple new faces, so, why don't we start with those people."

He gestured to Faith. "How about you?"

"Oh, uh, hi. I'm Faith. And I suppose I'm an alcoholic."

"Well, Faith, the first step is admitting you have a problem." Sean quipped.

Faith put her elbows on her knees and folded her hands in front of her. "Uhm, ever since my mom died, I've just been on a downward spiral when it comes to alcohol. I don't drink everyday, but when I do drink, I don't know my limits and I become... a jerk. I just want to get and stay sober for my girlfriend, whom I hope to make my wife someday."

"That's a beautiful incentive." Aubree commented. Other statements of agreement floated around.

"Thanks."

On and on, around the circle they went until the introductions and personal stories returned to Sean. He went over an exercise that he wanted them to complete throughout the week until they met again.

"Go out into the world and seek peace within yourself without the temptations of the world that will only drag you down. Until next time." Sean told them.

_The Beach, 8:04pm_

Faith sat on a large boulder with her iPhone playing music aloud. Her hands busied themselves by picking apart a flower. She looked out across the ocean, wondering where she was headed next.

"I thought I might find you here." Buffy said. She'd walked down the little trail that led to the beach from their back patio.

Faith's reply was soft and contemplative. "Hey."

Buffy wrapped a thin blanket around Faith.

"Thanks."

"I always feel stupid asking what you're thinking about." Buffy stated as she climbed up onto the huge rock and sat next to Faith.

"And why is that?"

"Because I know that you're always thinking about everything."

"This is true." Faith responded with a chuckle.

"Are you giving everyone five answers or less or did you save that especially for me?" Buffy mocked the words that Faith had once spoken to her.

Faith gave Buffy a genuine laugh. "I have some good news."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I, uh... I went to my first AA meeting today."

"Really? Babe, that's great news." Buffy scooted closer to Faith and hugged her.

"I just want to get better. And I know it won't happen overnight but I really need you to have faith in me."

"I do."

Faith grinned as if she were enjoying a private joke.

"What are you smiling at?" Buffy asked.

"Nothing. I just like hearing you say 'I do'." Faith admitted.

_**Up Next: The foundation for young artists presents...**_


	30. We Are Young

_**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updates. Been state-hopping for the past month. (: Five more chapters left, lovers (after this one). The group "fun." makes an appearance in this chapter, not for any personal reasons (I'm not even a huge fan of the song), but I felt that their song was exactly what I was looking for in this chapter. Enjoy! **_

_**Chapter 30: We Are Young**_

_Monday, New Years' Eve, Dim Mak Studios/Room 86, Los Angeles, 11:45pm_

"Please put your hands together for _fun._!" Xander exclaimed into the microphone. The crowd of nearly three hundred people went wild. As the hit band started playing, teenagers and young adults alike yelled lyrics and danced wildly with broad smiles on their faces.

_Give me a second I_

_I need to get my story straight_

_My friends are in the bathroom _

_getting higher than the Empire State_

_my lover she is waiting for me_

_just across the bar_

_Tonight_

_We are young_

_So let's set the world on fire_

_We can burn brighter_

_than the sun_

In the heart of Los Angeles, Dim Mak Studios boasted a four-thousand-square-foot venue with state-of-the-art cinema, restaurant and live performance club with a full bar, three projection screens and a one-thousand-square-foot dance floor. Hollister and Connor had put together a video montage of abstract flashes of art which played at different times on all three projectors. Strobe lights and a dark atmosphere gave the presentation a rave vibe that could be appreciated by the younger crowd. A banner hung over the stage that read '_Artists for Change Foundation Presents: First Annual Party for Peace!_'

Buffy and Faith walked around like proud parents, happy that this party was going off without a hitch. For the past month, the lovers promoted the event by passing out flyers at clubs, at Buffy's gallery and by posting the time and place on social networking sites. With Faith's money, Buffy's connections and the kids' talent, _Artists for Change _became an incorporated foundation for young artists who wanted to use their gifts for good.

Standing at the adult bar, Buffy flashed her over twenty-one wristband to the bartender and asked for a dirty, Grey Goose. He nodded his head and started to fix her drink, dancing to the music as he did so.

"Having fun, B?" Faith asked. Her dimples were prominent in her smile, giving Buffy a rush of warmth below the belt. The blonde also noticed that her girlfriend didn't have on a lime green, over twenty-one wristband for alcohol. Buffy beamed with pride at Faith's ability to resist temptation.

"Yeah, I am. The kids seem to be having a blast, too."

"I feel young again."

"Faith, you turned thirty-two just two weeks ago." Buffy laughed.

"Ugh. Don't remind me." Faith said, rolling her eyes.

She held up the state-of-the-art professional Nikon camera up to her face. Buffy struck a quick pose, giving Faith her best Colgate smile. Faith snapped three shots, the flash nearly blinding Buffy and anyone else who was in the vicinity. Buffy blinked a few times to clear her eyes, grabbed her drink and headed back towards the dance floor.

Once the band finished its set, Xander got back onstage and suggested another round of applause for the great music. A recorded video of the glass ball in Times Square jumped onto the three projection screens, though California was three hours behind, the kids thought it would be a great idea if they used the countdown celebration during the event.

"It's about that time that we count down our new year from ten... nine-."

The entire crowd joined in, counting down to the new year. A time of renewal, growth, change and more of life's trials and tribulations.

"Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!" Everyone shouted. Cheers erupted, glasses clinked against others, applause sounded and the world turned into slow motion for Buffy. She was happier than she could ever remembered herself being. Willow, Anya, Tara, and Dawn all stood by her laughing, shouting, and raising their drinks. She could honestly say that at this moment, her life was truly perfect.

_Wednesday, Lehane-Summers-Pratt Residence, 9:15am_

"I have something for you."

"What is it?"

"You have to get back into bed."

"There had better be something in that bed that I haven't seen before." Buffy laughed.

For the past hour, Faith had been trying to get Buffy to play hooky and stay in bed with her all day. "It's a new year!" was her most complex argument. Still, Buffy had meetings with potential buyers all day; some who wanted to purchase work that the kids had completed. Today was a no-nonsense-no-staying-in-bed kind of day.

"Don't you have to go and get your new car today, anyway?"

From the bed, Faith childishly crossed her arms and pouted at Buffy through the mirror of her vanity table. Buffy glanced at her and chuckled while putting her earrings on.

"You know, we should have the kids get permission from their parents to stay here for the weekend."

"Why?"

Buffy sighed and turned around. "Faith, you have so much that you could teach those kids. They love spending time with you and this weekend, we could show them the joys of going on a art binge."

"An art binge? Really?"

Buffy could tell that Faith was considering it, so she added, "Besides, I see how much of a shining you and Audrey have taken to one another."

A grin broke out onto Faith's face. "She is amazing. Her sketches are so good. And she does them so quickly. I think she'd really do good working as a police sketch artist."

"And isn't it an amazing feeling knowing that you can help her reach that dream?" Buffy asked.

Faith shrugged her shoulder and then nodded. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"Here's a little food for thought," Buffy began, "I'm realistic. I don't believe that art can change the world alone. But I do believe that the artists who create masterpieces can help others see the world in a completely different light. You, my dear, are one of those people."

Buffy stood up from her vanity, kissed Faith on the forehead and headed out of the room, leaving Faith to ponder her final words.

Only thirty minutes had passed after Buffy's departure for work before Faith flung back the covers and hopped out of bed on a new mission. Grabbing her phone, she sent a mass text message to her little Artists for Change.

_Friday, Abbey Penn Community Center, 5:38pm_

"Where's Buffy?" Hollister asked.

Faith looked at the clock on the wall. "She'll be here soon. She's probably still closing the gallery up."

"So, what's up with this weekend? What's on the agenda?" Connor wondered aloud.

"You'll just have to wait and see." Buffy said from the doorway. "Sorry, I'm late. I got pulled over for speeding."

"Speeding? That's illegal in LA?" Courtney joked.

"So, are you guys ready for a fun weekend?" Buffy questioned.

"Hell yeah. Any weekend away from a screaming baby at three a.m. is perfection." Harlow admitted. She hopped off of a table and grabbed her vintage-styled backpack. Kendra and Chelsea followed suit.

"All right, well, we'll do four in my car and four in Faith's. That cool?" Buffy asked, looking at her girlfriend.

"Sure." Faith shrugged.

"I call shot gun in Faith's car." Audrey exclaimed, grabbing her bags and heading out.

"No way! I call it!" Hollister called, running after her.

"Hollister, don't touch my radio, bro!" Faith yelled. She ran after the two kids.

Buffy rolled her eyes and grinned. "Come on, guys. Let's head out."

Harlow, Samantha, Courtney and Brian retrieved their things and followed her out of the room.

_Up Next: Talent, food, art, and sex, oh my!_

_**A/N #2: Please forgive me for not updating sooner. Somehow, I got a little case of writer's block with this chapter. I had to figure out where I was going with the ending of this story. I **__**think **__**I've got a pretty good idea. So, stick with me! (:**_


	31. Art, Music, Love

_**A/N: Okay, this is totally NOT a songfic and I'm sorry for all the music that has been incorporated into it, but music is such an important part of my life. I believe it's an art that will never get old and so, I couldn't see doing "The Artist in 4C" without it. That being said, this chapter holds "Big, White Room" by Jessie J. I HIGHLY recommend you listen to it while reading or before reading or after reading. Whichever. (: Enjoy, lovers.**_

_**Chapter 31: Art, Music, Love**_

_Lehane-Summers-Pratt Residence, 7:30pm_

"Babe?" Buffy asked, walking into she and Faith's bedroom.

"Hm?" Faith answered, not looking up from her MacBook.

"Where is everyone?"

"What?"

"The kids? Where are they?"

Faith looked up to see if Buffy was serious or not. "You lost them?!" She yelled, standing up on the bed. "How could you lose them? What kind of counselor are you?"

Buffy and Faith looked at each other in silence for a moments before they burst out laughing.

"Come on. Let's go see what they're up to." Faith said.

Splitting up, Faith and Buffy started to explore the house.

Faith found Kendra sitting atop of the pool table in the game room. She had her MacBook on her lap and she was nodding her head, furiously to a song that blared in her Beats headphones. Faith hopped up onto the edge of the pool table with her and nudged her. Kendra pulled her headphones off of her head and let them settle around her neck.

"Whatcha doin?"

"Mixing beats on my laptop."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Can I hear a sample?"

"Sure."

Kendra ejected her headphones from the jack in her computer and a dope hip-hop beat came to live in the large room. Faith and Kendra nodded their heads simultaneously to the music.

"This is sick. Do you have any lyrics to go with it?"

"No, I just want to produce beats for artists. Maybe I could be like the next David Guetta or Timbaland."

"Keep at it. You can do anything you put your mind to." Faith told her. She hopped off of the pool table and headed out of the room.

Buffy walked past the open basement door. Stopped. And backed up as she heard jazz music flowing up the stairs. Walking down, she stopped midway when she spotted Brian, Connor and Hollister hard at work. While Hollister started airbrushing one end of the large canvas, Brian took him time painting the other. Connor had taken his place in the middle, sketching what looked like a large peace sign. Buffy was intrigued as to what the finished product would look like. She headed back upstairs and shut the door.

On the back patio, Harlow sat on the cement and brick wall that enclosed the large eating space and its barbeque pit. Her knees were raised to her chest and she looked out the tall trees and sky. The little brunette fixed her OBEY skully hat and then tugged at her Ugg boots before she opened her mouth and pure beauty escaped her lips.

_Sit in a big, white room alone_

_Tilt my head back_

_Feel the tears fall doooooown_

_Close my eyes to see in the dark_

_I feel young, broken_

_So, so scared, ooo-ooh-ohh_

_I don't wanna be here anymore_

_I wanna be somewhere else_

_Normal and free, like I used to be_

_But I have to stay in this big, white room_

_With little ol' meeeeeeee_

_I'm going crazy, I'm losing my mind_

_I'm going crazy in this big, white room of mine._

_I'm going crazy, yeah, I'm losing my mind_

_I'm going crazy in this big, white room of mine_

Faith slid open the patio door as quietly as she could, without disturbing her song. She leaned against the doorframe and listened, but Harlow was interrupted. Spike came from around the side of the house, his acoustic guitar in tow.

"Was that you, little song birdie?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah." Harlow flushed, obviously embarrased.

"You're pretty amazing. Need an instrument?" Spike asked, gesturing to his guitar.

Harlow looked at him, suspiciously.

"Oh, right, suspicious of the Brit, yeah?" Spike said. He held out his hand. "Spike."

Harlow shook it. "Harlow."

Spike pulled a patio chair out and sat down. He placed his guitar on his lap and started strumming.

_Sitting in a big white room alone_

_Close the door, don't want the pain to come in, no_

_I clench my first and try to stay strong, I cry, I feel sick_

_My heart's beating, b-b-beating, beating out of control_

_Can I run, run faster than you? I wanna feel my body again_

_Feel the wind in my hair_

Chelsea entered from the other side of the house and cut in.

_But I have to stay in this big, white room_

_Cause no one else cares, no, no, no, no, no, n-n-no, no_

_I'm going crazy, yeah, I'm losing my mind_

_I'm going crazy in this big, white room of mine_

_I'm going crazy, I'm losing my mind_

_I'm going crazy in this big, white room of mine_

Altogether, the two girls sang:

_Everybody's looking at me, everybody's staring at me_

_What do I do now? Smile, yeah, yeah_

_Everybody's looking at me, everybody's staring at me_

_What do I do now? Smile, yeah, yeah, yeah_

When Spike stopped strumming the guitar, Harlow smiled and gave Chelsea a high-five.

Faith finally stepped out of the doorway, clapping. "That was amazing, guys."

"Aw, thanks, Faith. And thanks, Spike." Harlow smiled. Faith had never seen Harlow smile so much. She always seemed quiet and sad, but it was clear that she had talent on top of talent.

"Has anybody seen Courtney, Samantha and Audrey?" Faith asked.

"Yeah, uh, Courtney and Audrey said they were heading to the beach to paint." Chelsea said, pointing over her shoulder.

"Yeah and Samantha's sketching and watching _Lockup: Raw _on MSNBC." Harlow added.

They all looked at each other and shrugged.

"Cool. Well, I'd better go check on Court and Audrey. You guys will be cool here at the house?" Faith inquired.

"Yeah."

"Absolutely."

Faith nodded and started walking towards the little path that led to the beach. Buffy walked out of the patio door.

"Ay! Where you goin?" She yelled.

"The beach."

"I wanna go." Buffy jogged down the three, flat steps of the patio and towards Faith. Without losing a beat in her step, Faith put her arm around Buffy's waist and the two walked towards the beach together.

_On the beach..._

Faith chased Buffy with a couple leaves of seaweed.

"Faith, so help me god, if any of that touches me, I will severely harm your person!" Buffy yelled.

"Oh, come on, B. It's good for you. That way, you won't have to spend so much on those wrap-thingies at a spa." Faith laughed.

"Run, Buffy, run!" Courtney called out. She and Audrey were a few yards away, watching the entire scene unfold and laughing.

"I think they're so cute together." Audrey admitted.

"Me too."

"Not cuter than us, of course."

Courtney grinned and continued painting the scenery.

_9:45pm_

Buffy, Faith, Spike and the eight kids sat around the mosaic stone fire pit on the outdoor couches and chairs. While Buffy and Faith drank mineral water, Spike cracked open his third beer and the kids had brought a variety of sodas from the kitchen. Faith had given the kids the opportunity to ask she and Buffy whatever they wanted.

"So, how long have you two been together?" Harlow asked Buffy.

"Uhm, about nine months." Buffy answered.

"We know Buffy owns a gallery. What do you do Faith?" Connor asked.

Faith looked at Buffy and sat her bottle of water down. "Uh, I am a full-time artist."

"Do you sell a lot of your work?" Samantha questioned.

"Absolutely." Faith grinned. "How do you think we afforded this place?"

"Are you guys, like, swingers?" Hollister inquired. "I mean, you, know, with the Spikeage and all."

Buffy nearly choked on her water. Faith laughed and Spike shook his head with a smirk on his face. "No. We're not swingers, bro."

Kendra slapped Hollister in his chest with the back of her hand. "Idiot."

"Okay, back to the real questions." Chelsea laughed. "When you brush your teeth, do you wet the toothbrush first and _then _add the toothpaste?"

"Ooo! That's a good question." Spike chimed in.

"Yeah, I totally wet the brush first."

"Me too. And then I wet it again after I put the toothpaste on." Faith added.

"So do I." Audrey said.

"You guys are all weirdos." Kendra laughed.

For the next couple of hours, they laughed and pigged out on junkfood while talking about art, music, their favorite places in the world and plans for the future. By one in the morning, they decided to call it a night.

_3:22am_

"Babe, do you hear that?" Buffy asked from the bed. Faith, fresh from the shower, stopped towel-drying her hair. Her eyes squinted and she walked to the door to their bedroom, opening it quietly.

"Someone is so getting it on!" Faith whispered to Buffy.

"That's gross."

Faith rolled her eyes. "I'm going to go find out which of the guest bed's we're going to have to replace."

Buffy hopped out of the bed and followed the tip-toeing brunette. Faith walked slowly down the hallway of shut doors before she stopped. Buffy bumped into her, obviously not prepared for the abrupt stop.

"It's Audrey and Courtney." Faith whispered.

"I knew it." Buffy muttered back. "They're always together."

"So? We're not always together."

"Yes, we are."

"Really?"

It was Buffy's turn to roll her eyes and pulled Faith back to their bedroom. "Come on."

_**Up Next: Flashbacks, the future and fighting.**_


	32. Forward Thinking

_**A/N: Are you guys still with me? Sorry for the late update. Life is so beautiful when it's full of... well, living. (: Anyway, sorry this chapter is so rushed but it's been nearly three months since I've updated last. Enjoy!**_

_**PS. I know some of you are wondering about how Buffy told Lindsey about she and Faith sooooo... hopefully this chapter quenches that thirst.**_

_**Chapter 32: Forward Thinking**_

_Flashback _

_Monday, Lehane-Summers-Pratt Residence, 6:00pm_

_Buffy ran entered the house in her workout clothes. Heading to the kitchen for a bottled mineral water, she was bombarded by Faith, who looked like a ferret on crystal meth. A huge smile donned her face and she was bouncing her weight back and forth._

_"Okay, who's your supplier?" Buffy asked._

_"Huh?" Faith stopped bouncing._

_"Clearly, you took a few uppers."_

_Faith resumed bouncing. Ignoring Buffy's comment, she became more animated by doing the cabbage patch dance. "Guess what?"_

_"I'll guess if you stop doing that." Buffy laughed. She reached into the fridge and retrieved her water. When she closed the see-through door, Faith pulled her close and commenced with the tango. She spun the laughing blonde around the kitchen and ended the dance with a dip._

_Laughing hysterically, Buffy pulled Faith's face close and kissed her. The brunette stood her back up._

_"Okay, what is going on with you? Did you win the lottery?"_

_"Better." Faith pulled two slips of paper from her back pocket and handed them to Buffy. _

_"Receipts? One for sixty-thousand dollars and the other for forty-thousand dollars." Buffy was confused._

_"Those, my little blonde friend, are the receipts saying that Audrey Rivera's University of Oxford tuition is paid in full!" Faith exclaimed._

_"Seriously? She got the money?"_

_"Yeah. I gave it to her."_

_Buffy's eyes got wide. "You did?"_

_"Yeah. I already told her mother and she's ecstatic. We're going to surprise Audrey for her birthday. Of course, tuition is only about fourteen grand American dollars a year, I figured in travel costs, maybe she'll want to get her own apartment and by junior year and money for books."_

_Buffy jumped on Faith, wrapping her legs around the brunette's waist. "You never cease to amaze me."_

_"Of course, we're telling her that she got a full ride from Oxford. I don't want her to know it was me."_

_"You are so getting lucky tonight." Buffy giggled._

_"That's not all."_

_"There's more?"_

_"Yep. Spike was so impressed by Chelsea and Harlow's singing and Kendra's producing that he's taking them to the studio next weekend."_

_"Keep talking. I'm getting hornier and hornier." Buffy said, seductively._

_"And I've arranged for the guys' painting to be on display at your art gallery."_

_"My, oh my, you've been a very good girl." _

_"Yes, yes I have." Faith grinned, heading to the bedroom with Buffy's legs still wrapped around her legs._

Two hours later...

_Faith emerged from the bedroom in only a jog bra and a pair of oversized sweatpants._

_"I'm not finished with you." Buffy yelled from the bed._

_"Need. Water." Faith said, feigning dehydrated. She laughed to herself as she headed to the kitchen._

_"Well, I gotta say, I could've done without the soundtrack, but my dinner was still fine. Thanks." Spike said. He threw a fork into the sink and dropped a Thai takeout container into the trash._

_"Sorry, bro. I haven't seen much of you lately. Which is sad since you're my best friend and we share a house." Faith admitted. "What's been up?"_

_"Still recording the album. Nothing major. I'm just excited to get the kids into the studio."_

_"Me too. They're gonna be so pumped. Thanks again for doing this."_

_"Think nothing of it."_

_End of Flashback_

_Saturday, Los Angeles, Henson Recording Studio, 9:37AM_

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed was not the theme for the morning. After a Friday night of drinking and dancing until the wee hours of the morning, all Faith needed was her dark Ray Bans and a very large, very strong cup of coffee. Harlow, Chelsea and Kendra had also had a very dark evening. Apparently, they'd been hanging out together ever since the 'sleepover'.

All four women and Spike held trenta-sized Starbucks cups of coffee; each wearing different styles and shades of sunglasses. They walked into the dimly-lit, state of the art recording studio, their sunglasses hiding their awe.

"This is sick." Kendra spoke first. Pointing to the soundboard, she looked at Spike. "May I?"

"Be my guest."

"I can't believe you get to be here all day everyday. I'd kill to practically live in a studio." Harlow commented.

"Well, for the next couple of weeks, this is your new home." Faith said.

"What?" Chelsea asked.

"I've bought some studio time for you guys. It'll give you guys the chance to work in a real studio. With vocals like yours and Harlow's and producing skills like Kendra's, you guys could big the next big thing."

"This is California. Someone's always going to be the next big thing." Harlow admitted.

"Precisely why we'll be in here, making sure that you three are it. I've invited a couple of my produucer friends to come and check your guys out throughout the next two weeks." Spike announced, his chest swollen with pride.

"Seriously?" Kendra asked, her fingers itching to start pressing buttons.

"Yeah. So, make yourself comfortable and let's order some grub before we get started."

_Wednesday, Lehane-Summers-Pratt Residence, 10:13PM_

"Honey, you're home." Spike joked. Buffy shut the door, locking it behind her. "How did the little shindig go?"

"It was perfect." Buffy said. She plopped herself down next to him on the couch. "I have some seriously big news for the kids."

"Yeah? Let's have it, then."

"Do you remember the... _masterpiece _that Brian, Connor and Hollister worked on together while they were here?"

"Yeah."

"I sold it." Buffy told him. "For one-hundred-and-fifty-thousand dollars."

"What?"

"Yes!" Buffy's smiled broadened and she was completely excited. "That's enough for each of them to pay for their first year at whatever college they want."

"That's brilliant."

"I'm so excited to tell them. This just reminds me of the beauty of art. It can change your life it you let it."

"This is true." Faith added. She leaned over the back of the couch and kissed Buffy's cheek.

"You heard my good news?"

"I did." Faith said, sitting on the arm of the couch. "It's amazing. The guys are going to be so happy."

"How are the girls doing in the studio?"

"So far so good. Spike's had LA Reid and Ice-T come in and help them out a lot. They're pretty excited."

"How's AA?" Spike asked.

"What a segue."

"I do what I can." Spike grinned.

"I haven't been to AA lately. I've been extremely busy, but I haven't had a drink either."

"Well, I'm certainly proud of you, babe."

"Thank you."

"As am I. I would say that this is cause for a celebratory drink but-."

"Smartass." Buffy told him.

_**Up Next: More than you bargained for.**_


	33. Deeper

_**A/N: 3 chapters left. (:**_

_**P.S. In chapter 29, a 'guest' by the name of "Charlotte" asked if you guys would ever see Buffy giving it to Faith in detail like we've seen vice versa and ... well, let's just say, this chapter is how I'll answer. Enjoy.**_

_**Chapter 33: Deeper**_

_Providence Restaurant, Hollywood, 7:37PM_

World-class fine-dining where innovative seafood dishes become works of art and the atmosphere is luxurious and calm, Faith and Spike sat across from one another at a finely decorated table. The wooden and steel chairs were surprisingly comfortable and the six-course menu was exquisite. The warmly lit restaurant was exactly what the friends needed for a quiet dinner in order to catch up.

"...and so the album should be finished within the next couple of months." Spike was saying.

"That's fucking awesome. I'm excited for you."

"Thank you. Thank you." Spike smiled. "And you, with the reinventing yourself. I'm happy that you've been finding yourself so busy."

Faith smiled broadly. "Ugh. I think we're actually adults now."

"Hush your mouth. That's utter blasphemy."

Sharing a laugh was what Faith and Spike did best. It was the glue that kept them together individually. Together, the playful banter that prattled on was the one thing that would never get old or boring between them.

"I've been too busy, I think."

"No such thing. It's good to keep the mind and body busy. It reminds us that we're still living."

"Ha! Speaking of keeping the body busy, it's been nearly two weeks since I've made love to my wife." Faith blurted out.

"Your wife, eh?"

"Shut up."

"You wanna marry Buffy," singsonged Spike.

"I do not."

"Yeah, you do."

"Shut up!" Faith repeated.

"Rude little Yank." Spike joked.

They were silent for a moment as Faith sipped her water and Spike stared at her.

"Okay, fine! I wanna marry her. But it's only been a year and some change. Not to mention, she only got divorced a few months ago."

"You don't have to get married, or even engaged tomorrow, y'know? It's just great to have that feeling. To know that you're ready and that the love is that strong."

"Did you have that with Dru?" Faith asked.

_Flashback (15 years ago)_

_A twenty-two year old Spike crossed a street in London, during a busy day. While avoiding traffic, he spoke affectionately to his girlfriend of two years, Drusilla._

_On his errand list, he'd crossed off: market, hair store (need more gel), dry cleaners, liquor store. Nowhere on his list did it read: buy big fat, wedding ring._

_And yet, as he walked past the Harry Winston salon, he stopped to admire the shiny diamonds that he could see locked securely away. Dru chatted animatedly in his ear as he became enamored with the shiny objects._

_"Dru, I'll call you back, love." Spike said, hanging up his phone. _

_Slipping his phone into his back pocket, he found himself slipping into the expensive store._

_End of flashback_

"Yeah." Spike said, thoughtfully. "I did."

_Two days later..._

Buffy and Faith sat on large, floor pillows in front of the huge marble and gold-plated fireplace in their bedroom. Red and orange flames danced and crackled in front of them, casting off gold hues. Buffy had made herbal, black tea and each woman held a medium-sized mug in their hands. Smooth jazz played in the background and the two sat in comfortable

Sitting her ceramic cup down, Faith brought her knees up to her chest and leaned the weight of her upper body onto them.

"Can I ask you a question?" The brunette inquired.

"Of course. Anything."

"Would you ever get married again?"

"Sure. You can't let one bad experience destroy your ideals and desires." Buffy spoke candidly, referencing her divorce with Lindsey.

Faith simply nodded.

Buffy smiled.

"Why? Would you like to marry me, F?"

Faith picked up her cup and smiled into it as she sipped the lukewarm tea. "No."

"Yeah, right. I'm a catch." Buffy defended herself.

Faith laughed. "Pfft! In what world?"

"Yours." Buffy shot back.

"Dream on, Blondie. Dream on." Faith joked.

Before Buffy drank from her mug, she rose an eyebrow and smirked at her girlfriend. "You're an asshole."

"If I had a dollar, B. If I had a dollar."

Buffy cleared her throat and sat her tea down. "Take your clothes off."

"Excuse me?" Faith asked, nearly choking on her tea.

"You heard me. Take your clothes off." Buffy repeated.

Without taking her brown eyes off of Buffy's green ones, Faith lifted her signature black tank top off in one swift move. Standing up, she wriggled out of her sweatpants, leaving her in her underwear and bra.

Buffy stood. She removed the oversized sweatshirt she was wearing and slipped off her underwear before losing the distance between them. Running her hands against Faith's smooth, warm skin, she wrapped her arms around Faith's back and unhooked her bra. Kissing Faith's neck as she slid the lace material down her shoulders, Buffy let it fall to the floor. Her next instinct was to take Faith's pert breasts into her hands and knead them slowly, yet firmly before leaning down and taking the pink pearl into her mouth. Taking turns on each of Faith's breasts, Buffy sucked, licked and nibbled until Faith's breath was heavy and her arousal was apparent.

As she kissed her way down to Faith's toned stomach, Buffy slid her panties down, raising an eyebrow at small pool of wetness in the center of them. Now kneeling between the brunette's legs, Buffy ran her hands up Faith's thighs, pushing her legs further apart. Buffy spread Faith's pink lips and gave an exploratory lick right up the center.

"Oh." Was all Faith managed, and her breathing quickened. Before she knew what was happening, Buffy was face-deep between Faith's thighs. Faith's knees buckled as Buffy licked and sucked upon her clit.

"Fuck! Don't... stop." Faith demanded. She wrangled up a fistful of Buffy's locks, holding her head between her legs. Buffy pulled Faith down onto the floor, her mouth never leaving Faith's soaking pussy. Lapping up her girlfriend's creamy center, Buffy used two fingers with play with Faith's opening, teasing her. Faith arched her back, involuntarily, before Buffy slowly slipped her fingers into her.

"Say when." Buffy told her and slipped another finger into her. She pumped her fingers in and out and flicked her tongue, quickly against Faith's clit.

Because Faith didn't say 'when', Buffy inserted a fourth finger, filling Faith completely.

A loud gasp left Faith's mouth. "Oh, god. Oh, god. When. When. Please... don't ... stop!" Faith breathed out.

The feeling could only be described as euphoric to Faith. And when Buffy wriggled her fingers around, tapping Faith's inner walls, she couldn't help the scream that left her mouth as she came loud and hard. Still, her super sensitive pussy wasn't allowed a chance to recover before Buffy slipped her leg over Faith's waist. Now, in the perfect position, Buffy started grinding her wet pussy against Faith's.

"Oh my fffffuuu... shitshitshitshit!" Faith moaned. "Sooooo... so good!"

Faith placed her hands on Buffy's waist, giving the two leverage to grind harder and faster. Neither woman lasted longer than three minutes in this new position and found themselves moaning uncontrollably and coming together.

Heavy breathing, sex and sweat filled the air, but Buffy wasn't finished with Faith just yet. She stood up on wobbly legs and left Faith's convulsing body for a moment, returning with her favorite toy.

"On your knees." Buffy demanded. Faith did as she was told, struggling against her exhaustion to turn over and rise to her knees. Buffy slipped on the strap-on harness, tighened it around her legs and dropped to her knees behind Faith. She coated the vibrating cock in Faith's wetness before sliding it into the brunette inch-by-inch.

"Fuck!" Faith managed. Her head dropped onto the pillow as she gave in to Buffy's will.

As Buffy fucked her within an inch of her life, she felt a sense of power and love that she never felt with anyone else. Gripping Faith's hair, Buffy pulled the brunette back up and turned her head so that she could kiss her passionately. The sloppy kiss only added to the pulsing that Faith felt between her legs.

"I'm gonna... I-I... cum." Faith breathed.

"Come for me." Buffy whispered in her ear. "Drench my cock with your cum, baby."

"Oh god!" Faith moaned. Buffy slammed into her girlfriend one last time before the brunette screamed her climax for the third time that evening. She fell onto her stomach, wincing as the faux cock slipped out of her.

Buffy grinned and kissed Faith's neck and down her back before lying down next to her.

"Marry me." Faith whispered.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"Marry me." She repeated.

Buffy massaged Faith's back with one hand. "Fine. If I _have _to." She kissed Faith's cheek.

_**Up Next: A barbecue.**_


	34. Congratulations!

_**A/N: Just a filler. Not very long, but a little gathering of personalities. (: Two more chapters left! ): Waahhh.**_

_**Chapter 34: Congratulations!**_

_5 months later..._

_June, Lehane-Summers-Pratt Residence, Saturday, 3:39PM_

"Alright, guys, Buffy's got something she wants to say." Faith shouted to get everyone's attention.

The lush green backyard was the backdrop for the celebration barbecue. With strategically-placed floral arrangements in the garden ("to create good feung-shui", Buffy had said), and a large, sculpture fountain in the center to balance out the peaceful energy, the backyard was filled with close friends and family to celebrate a few occassions. Also in attendance were the parents and a couple of friends of the teens that Faith and Buffy were mentoring. Faith took a spot, standing next to her fiance on the small, wooden platformed stage.

"First off, I'd like to thank you guys for coming," Buffy started, "and as you know we're all here to celebrate quite a few achievements."

"Yeah, now, first and foremost, we want to congratulate my best friend in the entire world, William Pratt, or Spike as most of you know him by, on finishes his debut studio album! It has been a very hard, long process for him but he's shone through like I knew he could."

Buffy nodded in agreement as Faith spoke and applauded when the others did.

"That being said, for Spike, we have a vintage 1937 Martin D-45 acoustic guitar."

Spike's face was in complete shock. He'd been wanting a vintage guitar for nearly six years, but three-hundred-and-twenty-thousand dollars seemed like such a steep price to pay.

"Next, we'd like to congratulate Harlow, Hollister, Kendra, Audrey and Connor for graduating high school this past Thursday!"

"Woooooooooo!" The applause and cheering was full of happiness and relief.

Speaking over the cheering, Buffy continued, "For , we have a vintage 1950 Shure 55 Elvis LQQK chrome microphone."

More cheering. Harlow's face was one of complete and utter shock.

"For Kendra and Courtney, we have MacBook Air laptops and the iPad 2 for both of you. After all, it's what every new college student needs." Faith told them.

"Hell yeah!" Kendra yelled. Laughter ensued and even more applause followed.

"Now, we have something even more special for Audrey, Hollister and Connor," began Faith,"Firstly, we want to wish Audrey a happy eighteenth birthday and I ask that Audrey's mother and grandmother join us up here." Buffy waved the two women up to stand next to her and Faith.

"Audrey, your mother has been keeping a very big secret from you and she wants to tell you what it is." Faith said.

"Audrey," Mrs. Rivera began, "you have been accepted with a full ride to the University of Oxford in England."

Audrey's mouth dropped open and she couldn't speak. Her hands flew to her mouth and tears started to stream down her eyes. She couldn't hear the clapping and words of encouragement around her. Dropping to her knees in her floral long, floral sundress, Audrey wept, her body overcome with her sobbing.

Faith went to her, kneeled next to Audrey and hugged her tightly. "There is no one in this world who deserves this more than you."

_Fifteen minutes later..._

With a few tissues from Faith, a wand of mascara from Chelsea, a reapplication of her liquid eyeliner and hugs from her friends, Audrey was able to leave the bathroom of a guest room, feeling nothing but a swell of happiness. As they walked back out onto the back lawn, people clapped and offered her words of encouragement when she walked past them.

"And she's back." Buffy said. She reached for Audrey, hugging her close. "Make us proud."

"I will."

"Okay, may I have everyone's attention once again?" Buffy asked.

For the second time, a noises ceased and everyone attention was focused on Buffy.

"Now, Brian, Connor and Hollister created a masterpiece in the basement of this very home. They were kind enough to allow me to place it in my gallery. What I haven't told them, however, is that it was sold to a private buyer for one-hundred-and-fifty-thousand dollars." Buffy announced.

"Are you serious right now?" Hollister asked.

"As a heart attack." Buffy replied.

Hollister, Connor and Brian gave each other high-fives.

"That means, after the ten percent tax for the gallery, you all are going home with checks for forty-five-thousand dollars."

"I swear I just had a stroke." Connor joked.

"This is sick!" Brian exclaimed.

Neither of them had ever imagined that their passion for art would make them rich. Ever.

"I have an announcement as well." Spike said, stepping up beside Buffy. "Our very own Kendra has produced her first song for a UK artist, who happens to be a very good friend of mine, Vince Kidd."

"Oh my god! That's amazing! Why didn't you tell us?" Buffy squealed.

"We wanted to surprise you guys." Kendra admitted. "And it was so worth it."

"That's awesome, kid." Faith told her, bumping fists with Kendra.

"Thanks, Faith."

Faith threw her arm around Kendra's neck, proud of her mentee.

"And, last but not least," Faith said, letting go of Kendra and making her way to Buffy's side, "Buffy and I brought all of you guys here to celebrate... drum roll please."

Brian, Connor and Hollister all tapped their hands against the tall, round table in unison.

"Our engagement!" Buffy exclaimed.

"No way! Congratulations, guys!" Dawn screamed. She jumped up and down, clapping her hands, excitedly.

Likewise, Willow, Tara, Xander, Spike and the kids clapped and congratulated their favorite couple.

"This is going to be an epic ass wedding." Courtney told Audrey.

"You damn right."

"Not cuter than ours will be someday, though."

Audrey smirked and playfully elbowed her girlfriend.


	35. Icebergs For Toes

_**A/N: Sorry for the late update, lovers. We're almost done. One last chapter after this one! Enjoy. (:**_

_Chapter 35: Icebergs For Toes_

_August 1, Los Angeles, 4:49PM_

By July, Buffy and Faith had a set date of August seventeeth for their union of love; the first day they met. Invitations were sent out and many RSVPs were returned. With Buffy's stellar fashion taste and Faith's keen sense of all things creative, there was definitely a high expectation for the wedding. Because same-sex marriage wasn't legal in California, decided to have a Los Angeles-based civil union ceremony and then head to Washington, where it was legal to be married. With and the love and support of their friends and family, Buffy and Faith seemed happy with the decisions they were making.

"Faith! Seriously, I need you to focus. We've got two weeks left before this wedding and we still have to finish the last of this seating chart."

For the past hour, Faith had been trying to distract Buffy with neck kisses and dirty talk in her ear. The first half-hour, Buffy had fallen for it and when they were finished with their antics on the dining room table, their 3-D model of the seating arrangements was completely askew. Still, Faith could not be so quickly satiated.

"Everyone likes everyone. So, they can sit wherever they want." Faith told her. She sighed, sat back in her chair and folded her hands across her stomach.

"Everything is just that easy for you, isn't it?" Buffy shot back, rolling her eyes.

"Basically."

"Ugh." Buffy groaned, annoyed.

"What's going on, B? You're turning into a Bridezilla."

"Did you really just say that to me?"

"I'm just saying. You've been picking fights with me for the past week. Just tell me what's on your mind."

Buffy sighed, put her arms on the table and put her head into her arms. "I'm just... stressed."

"Besides all the wedding bullshit, what else do you have to do?" Faith asked.

"It's not bullshit. It's important stuff. And after we get back from Washington, I have a new exhibit opening at the gallery. And that takes planning to pull off."

"Look, you can't please everybody. So, like I said before, we just sit people next to whoever." As she spoke, Faith rearranged a few of the small decals that represented the people in their lives. "Bam. There you have the perfect arrangement."

Buffy lifted her head from her arms and looked at the model. "That's actually... pretty good."

"See? Done. What else is there to do?"

"I have to call and confirm the jazz band."

"Done. I already called yesterday."

"And the Justice of the Peace."

"Xander took care of that on his way to his last tux fitting today."

"Really?"

Faith rubbed her lips together and nodded her head.

"I'm impressed."

"And now all you have to focus on is what needs to be done for the gallery opening."

Buffy put her hand on Faith's cheek and gently slid it down her face. Faith took Buffy's hand into her own and kissed the blonde's palm.

"Have I told you how incredibly perfect you are?"

"Nope."

Buffy dropped her black ink pen onto the table and moved closer to Faith, before getting up and straddling her.

"You are so perfect. And sweet. And gorgeous."

Faith smiled at Buffy, nodding her head as if to say, 'Keep going'. Instead, Buffy leaned in and kissed her favorite brunette. When Faith attempted to slide the chair backwards to give them more room, the back leg caught on the rug, sending them falling backwards, laughing hysterically.

_August 17, Saturday, Beach Estate, 5:45PM_

The last few guests were arriving to the fabulous wedding. The back lawn of the beach house had been transformed into a wedding wonderland. With white wooden chairs creating neat, spacious rows and leaving just enough room for the white carpet in the center aisle. Vibrant red, blooming roses decorated the arms of the end chairs, held together by white satin. A tan, wooden platform stood front and center of the rows of chairs.

In Buffy's room, Dawn and Willow, already dressed in red bandage dresses of different lengths and styles, stood around swooning over the bride. The blonde stood in front of a full-length mirror, rubbing her nude-painted lips together. Dressed in an white, Steven McQueen bandage dress, Buffy's long, blonde hair was curled to perfection, parted and pinned, Lana Turner-style.

"Something old, something new." Dawn said. From her messenger bag, she pulled out their grandmother's crystal hairpin and slid it, gently, into Buffy's hair. Next, she opened up a baby blue Tiffany's box and pulled out a diamond tennis bracelet.

"It's beautiful. Thank you, Dawnie." Buffy said. She pushed her cheek against Dawn's, careful not to mess up their makeup.

"Something borrowed," added Willow. She gave Buffy a small jewelry box. In it, were small, stud ruby earrings.

"Will, these are so perfect! I'll take great care of them today." Buffy told her. She put the earrings on and pulled Willow into a hug.

"What about your something blue?" Willow asked.

Buffy lifted up her white shoes. "Custom-made Louboutin platform pumps." The red bottomed shoes had monogrammed with the letter 'B' on the left and 'F' on the right.

"Nice."

A knock sounded at the door and Cordelia poked her head in. "Thirty minutes ladies. You should head out and get one last makeup and hair check. Except you, Buffy."

"Thanks, Cordy."

With the girls gone, Buffy sat on the bed and exhaled deeply. She closed her eyes and rolled her shoulders backwards.

"You can do this, Buffy. You love her. She loves you. It's perfect." Buffy said, giving herself a pep talk.

Abruptly, her eyes opened, crossed the room to the open window. "_XANDER_!"

_Meanwhile..._

In Faith's room, the brunette tousled her fingers through her hair once more. It had been braided overnight and when she finally undid them, the waves were flawless. A tiny section of hair from either side of her temples were pulled back and pinned securely into place, Native-American style. Her lips held a very light tint of red with a glossy finish and her white, vest and pantsuit was tailored to fit her body perfectly by a team at J. Crew. Never one for tradition, Faith deemed herself ready after slipping into her red pumps. She pinned a small red rose onto the pocket of her blazer and then sat down in a spare chair.

"This is it, Faith. You're about to marry the girl of your dreams."

Faith breathed in. Exhaled. Breathed in again. And blew air out of her mouth. Then, she hurriedly reached for her iPhone, tapping at the touchscreen.

Placing it to her it, the line rang three times before she got an answer. "Spike, get your ass in here. Now!"

_Buffy's room, 6:10PM_

"Xander, I don't know if I can do this. I mean, sure I want to marry Faith. I love her, but I just-."

"Have cold feet. It's fine, Buff. You can do this. You'll get through it."

"I don't know if I can. I want to be with Faith, but can't I just be with her, without all of this formal crap?"

"Well, sure. Of course. We're all here for you two. You know that. We still have twenty minutes to call if off."

Buffy stood in front of the window, looking out into the backyard. She could see everyone settling in and chattering excitedly. She couldn't let them down. But then again, maybe that was her problem. She was always worried about letting everyone else down. Ever since her mom died, Buffy felt like she had to protector. The fighter. The champion.

Now, here she was, twenty minutes from yet another huge milestone in her life. And all she wanted to do was run.

_Faith's room, 6:15PM_

"Spike, I'm am freaking out, bro." Faith admitted. She was pacing the floor nonstop with her hands on her hips.

"Do you love her?"

"Yes."

"And you want to marry her?"

"Yes. I wouldn't have asked her if I hadn't."

"Can you see yourself with her for years to come?"

"Yes."

"Then what's wrong?"

"I don't know. It's marriage, dude. It's just so... serious."

"And you're the least serious person I know."

"Go to hell." Faith said.

Spike stood in her path, stopping her from pacing. He put his hands on her shoulders and forced her to look at him.

"Run. As far and as fast as you can." He suggested, seriously. "Go to Buffy. Take her hand and go to... I don't know, Timbuktu if you please. I'll deal with the chaos. Just. Go."

_Front hall, 6:22PM_

Faith reached the front hall first, on her way to Buffy's dressing room, located on the other side of the house. Willow truly did not want them to see each other before the wedding. That little redhead was superstitious as hell. Faith took out her phone, but her head shot up as she heard a pair of heels on the hallway floor. They were clicking furiously as if someone were power-walking. Or running.

"Can we please get out of here?" Buffy breathed, quickly.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Faith fumbled for a set of keys from the bowl of keys by the door, grabbed Buffy's hand and the two made a dash for it. Laughing hysterically, with Buffy pulling off her shoes on the way, Faith used the key fob to unlock the doors of Spike's black Spyker C8 Laviolette. They hopped it, started it up and were off.

_405 Freeway to LAX, 6:43PM_

With the windows down and her hand floating gently in the warm, summer breeze, Buffy felt at peace. She felt like this was where she belonged. Travelling to some unknown destination with Faith after doing something wild, daring and completely inappropriate. Two things had become clear to Buffy after running away from her own wedding.

The first being that she and Faith were far from traditional. From their strange friendship that bloomed into something totally different to the way they lived their lives. Sure, Buffy planned ahead when it came to certain things, but just like Faith, she loved living moment to moment. _Life is about living_.And she had forgotten that in her journey of adulthood. She was always told to go to school, get a job, get married and have kids. But where was the part that said she couldn't have fun and travel and be completely spontaneous?

The second was that even though a life with Faith was going to be unpredictable and wild, Buffy understood that the one thing that would remain constant and unmoving was that they balanced each other out. They were yin and yang, but inside of themselves was a small piece of the other to keep them tethered to one another.

_**Up Next: Epilogue.**_


	36. Epilogue

_**A/N: It's been a wild ride, lovers. Thanks for being amazing passengers. Enjoy the final phase of "The Artist in 4C". Oh, and heads up: this is chapter is NSFW.**_

_**Epilogue**_

_4 Years Later, Manchester, England, Friday, 5:45PM_

The quiet jazz music playing from the surround sound system, made the room feel like their own, personal concert.

"B, you really have to relax."

"Easy for you to say. You don't have people from every corner of the art world coming to see the unveiling of your work."

Buffy was sitting on the marble counter, between the two sinks in the bathroom of their Manchester flat. In an oversized button-up shirt and girl-cut briefs, the blonde was clipping her fingernails into the small, gold trashbin at her feet. Faith stood directly in front of her, leaning to the left to glance in the large mirror. She took a Q-tip and rubbed at the smudged eyeliner on the inside of her right eye.

"I'm pretty sure there was an insult in there somewhere." Faith said. She patted Buffy's thigh and continued with her maintenance.

Buffy scoffed and she stopped clipping her nails. "That's not what I meant, babe. I'm just... what if they don't like my work?"

"Oh, please. That's not even a valid question. They're going to love everything. Besides, the gallery we opened here is successful and modern. Art freaks love modern shit."

Buffy laughed. "You're very politically correct. I will never understand how people don't fall for your charm."

Faith smirked into the mirror, while pushing her wavy, brown locks to one side. "I'm an acquired taste."

"That you are." Buffy pulled open the drawer beside her leg and threw the nail clippers back inside. She shut it and then looked at Faith. "You look good, babe."

Dressed to impress, Faith was draped in custom-tailored dark grey slacks, a white, bib-collared chiffon top with bell-sleeves and a skinny, black tie. Her custom-fit blazer was still hanging on its hanger in their bedroom.

"Thanks, baby." She angled in for a sweet kiss from her long-time girlfriend.

"Mm. One more." Buffy said, kissing her girlfriend again.

"Two more." Faith replied. She pressed her lips to Buffy's twice more, before the blonde pulled her closer and wrapped her arms around Faith's neck. They put their foreheads together, staying like that for a few heartbeats.

"How much time do we have to get ready?" Buffy muttered.

"About an hour." Faith responded. "Why?"

"I think I need some help to get rid of these nerves."

"Oh yeah? How can I be of assistance?" Faith's seductive rasp inquired.

Buffy leaned, whispering a naughty sentiment into Faith's ear before planting a gentle kiss on the brunette's neck.

"Oh god." Faith's voice was breathy and low. She wrapped Buffy's legs around her waist and lifted her off of the counter.

They kissed their way to the bedroom and as Faith lay Buffy down on the firm mattress, she undid her tie, throwing it on the floor. Buffy pulled Faith's shirt from her pants and started to quickly unbotton the top. Faith undid her pants and let the fall to the ground, pushing them out of the way. Leaning down, she kissed Buffy's lips while rubbing the blonde's hot core through her underwear. Buffy moaned into the kiss, entangling one hand in Faith's hair while the other pulled her closer.

Once the two were completely nude, Faith made the simple request that made Buffy's tight pussy pulsate: "Sit on my face."

With Faith on her back, Buffy did as she was told, lowering herself on Faith's mouth. The brunette gripped Buffy's thighs and started to dine on Buffy's pussy as if it were her last meal. She rotated her head from side to side and up and down, making sure her tongue touched showed attention to everyone spot. Grinding against Faith's mouth, Buffy was in pure heaven. The sounds of her juices being slurped up was like music to her ears. She reached her right hand back to play with Faith's soaking wet center, using her left hand to play with her hardened nipples.

"Hunhh! Ohhh yeahyeahyeah! R-r-right there. Bite it... harder. Yeahyeahyeahyeah! Fuck!" Buffy moaned. Her back was arched. Her head was thrown back and her eyes were shut tight. She couldn't stop her body from grinding harder and harder against Faith's tongue. Her fingers worked faster at Faith's pussy, eventually sliding two fingers inside of her lover.

"Mmm!" Faith's moan was muffled by her meal, but she moved her hips, searching for more contact with Buffy's hand.

"Waitwaitwait. Wait." Buffy managed. She stood up on the mattress, turned around and sat back down. Now, in the perfect position, Buffy was able to get to her favorite meal as well. Faith got back to work, moaning into her girlfriend's pussy when Buffy's mouth found hers. Frantically, biting, licking, sucking and fingering each other, it wasn't long before Faith felt Buffy's muscles clench against her fingers. With her lips sucking, unmercilessly, on Buffy's clit and three fingers deep inside of her, Faith wet her thumb and trailed it upwards.

"Unnhh! Yeah, baby. Do it. Please give it to me." Buffy groaned, squirming around before shoving her tongue back into Faith's soaking love channel.

Faith took her thumb and gently pushed it into Buffy's ass. Her pussy squeezed tighter around Faith's fingers and it only took six more strokes before Buffy was coming violently.

"Fuuuuuu-ck! Oh fuckfuckfuckfuck! Yesss!" Buffy screamed as she rode out the waves of pleasure. The blonde furiously massaged Faith's clit, causing the brunette to yell out her pleasure!

"Shit! Just like thaaaaaat. Fuck, yea. Just like that, baby!" Faith moaned.

And just when Buffy thought it was over, Faith removed her fingers and replaced them with her tongue. She rubbed Buffy's clit furiously, causing the blonde to see stars before she succumbed to yet another orgasm. With her legs slowly turning to jelly, Buffy removed herself from Faith's face, rotated her body and pushed the brunette's legs up.

Buffy licked up and down before wrapping her mouth around Faith's sensitive bundle of nerves and sucked.

"Fuck!" Faith yelped. Her stomach muscles were tight and her thighs had clamped around Buffy's ears. She looked down to see blonde hair shaking as Buffy showed special attention to Faith's button. Faith tried to push her girlfriend away, but to no avail.

_Any more of this and she would..._

"Oooohhhhh god! Coming... I-I-I'm co-. Ohmygod! Fuckyeeesss!" Faith yelled when the volcano erupted.

Pleased with her work, Buffy let go of Faith's love and placed a kiss on her pussy. Faith struggled to pull Buffy up onto her chest, before wrapping her arms around her waist. They kissed over and over, tasting themselves on the other's lips.

_Manchester, England, 7:33PM_

"Nice of you to show." Spike's voice said, quietly behind them.

Due to an impromptu nap, Buffy and Faith were forced to quickly dress and head over to the gallery. Thirty minutes late to Buffy's own exhibit gala, the pair snuck in quietly, while Spike and Xander stalled the crowd with corny jokes and great music.

"So, without further ado, Buffy Summers, ladies and gentlmen."

The crowd of artists, critics, family and friends applauded as Buffy stepped up on the platformed stage and smiled at everyone.

"Can I get a glass of champagne?" Buffy asked no one in particular as she adjusted the mic to her height. She earned a laugh from the audience and she immediately felt a little more at ease. "I just want to thank you guys for coming out and supporting me. It really means a lot to have so much support and positivity behind me. Tonight, I'd like to present to you my first series entitled "_The Artist in 4C_" Without my wonderful girlfriend of 5 years, these works of art would have never been created. So, thank you, baby, for being my muse. I love you."

While the crowd clapped again, a gorgeous redhead waitress stood in front of her, handing her a glass of Moet champagne.

"Oh, right on." Buffy said and the audience laughed again as she took the drink. "So, here's to life, love and the pursuit of happiness. And I just want to thank you, thank you and thank you again."

She raised her glass and everyone followed before taking a sip.

"Enjoy." Buffy finished before walking off of the stage. Immediately, she found comfort when she put her hand in Faith's. The brunette kissed her cheek and gave her a reassuring smile.

"You were great, babe."

"Thank you."

Throughout the evening, Buffy was bombarded with hugs, well-wishes and questions about the how the fruition of her masterpieces came to be and if she was working on anything already. She politely and honestly answered every inquiry.

And when the evening was over, Buffy sold a painting and a sculpture and had reserved two more canvases for purchase within the next week.

"I'd say tonight was successful." The blonde said to her brunette counterpart.

"I'd say that was the understatement of the year." Faith responded.

Everyone else had gone and the two sat in white, folding chairs in the middle of Buffy's art gallery.

"Alright, fine, I'll say it: you were right?"

Faith cupped her hand around her ear and leaned in closer. "What was that? Could you say that a little louder?"

Buffy leaned in and angled her face so her lips touched Faith's. "You were right," she purred, "I had nothing to be concerned about. My work is good and I'm a good artist."

"Damn right." She pressed her lips gently against Buffy's before the blonde pulled away.

"But, I couldn't have gotten through anything these past six years without you, Faith Michelle Lehane, my artist in 4C. So, thank you for keeping me sane and pushing me to test my own limits." She tilted her glass towards Faith's.

"And if you hadn't given in to my advances, Buffy Anne Summers, well I would have been one depressed drunk for the rest of my life. So, thank you."

"For what?"

"For saving me from myself."

They tapped their glasses together, resulting in the sweetest, most musical _CLINK_.

_**Fin.**_

_**A/N #2: Thanks for sticking with me guys. Through the late updates and short chapters and past the realm of reality. I appreciate it. Namaste. -Desi **_


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